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Rarely that an English cricketer is accused of complaining down under, but when Joe Root faced questions regarding the need of day-night Tests in a series like the Ashes, he offered a straightforward response.

“My personal view is no,” Root replied before England's practice at the Gabba. “Clearly very successful and popular here in Australia, and the hosts boast a strong record with the pink ball. It's understandable why one match is scheduled.

“Ultimately, you know well in advance that it’s scheduled. It's a requirement of being ready for such contests. In a contest of this magnitude, is it essential? I don’t think so … yet it doesn't imply it shouldn’t be included. I don’t mind it. In my opinion it’s as good as the conventional format. But it’s in the schedule. We have to participate, and we just need we outperform our opponents at it.”

Root's Performance Under Lights Suffers

Like his counterpart, Australia's Steve Smith, Root's usually stellar numbers see a drop with the pink ball. The England star has featured in all seven of England’s floodlit Tests so far, and despite a hundred in his first outing versus the Windies in 2017, his overall average of 50.9 drops to 38.5 in these games.

Conversely, paceman Mitchell Starc averages 28.97 and a strike rate of 49.9 overall, yet these figures improve to 17.08 and 33.3 correspondingly in day-night Tests. During his most recent pink-ball appearance, against West Indies, he claimed six for nine as West Indies were dismissed for 27—his best performance that were soon surpassed with seven for 58 in the next Test.

Key Battle Root vs Starc Could Shape Series

The head-to-head between Root and Starc is emerging as one of the key contests in the Ashes. Although Cummins and Hazlewood have traditionally troubled him more, with them missing in the first Test, it was Starc who dismissed him for a duck and eight.

Root has reflected that the first dismissal came from a fine delivery—the kind that might not carry to slip back home. The second, when he chopped on, amid second-day collapse, was a miscalculation by him. “I am confident in my ability,” he said. “I believe I will return to form.”

England's Challenges and Preparations

Starc has adopted the wobble seam as his preferred weapon nowadays—he admitted he should have listened to Hazlewood and Cummins advice sooner—and in muggy conditions, swing could come into play. England, trailing 1-0, face additional obstacles in this Test, and runs from their top batsman could aid them recover from their own mistakes.

It might not need a century should there be rapid shootout unfolds, but Root’s lack of a century in Australia remains a talking point. “I didn’t have long enough to think about it,” was his humble reply on being questioned if the stat bothered him in Perth.

Squad Decisions and Chance for History

Root and his teammates practiced hard over the weekend, with hip-hop setting the tone in the heat. Monday and Wednesday are crucial for England’s preparations, conducted in evening conditions.

Wood being unavailable due to a knee issue opens up a spot in the lineup, and Will Jacks netting with the main batters hints he could be the frontrunner. His off-breaks are decent, and extra runs at number eight might offset any conceded runs.

That said, Josh Tongue was with the reserves in Canberra and remains an option should England choose an all-pace attack, and spinner Bashir was in the squad previously. Much to think about, then, at a venue where England have not won a Test for decades.

“It is a chance to make history,” Root commented on this fact. “It would make it all the sweeter if we succeed at this ground.”