Root Voices Dual Views on Pink-Ball Test Games Before Crucial Ashes Series Showdown
Rarely for an England player is accused of complaining down under, but when the former captain faced questions about the necessity for pink-ball cricket in a series like the Ashes, he gave a straightforward response.
“From my perspective, it's not necessary,” Root responded prior to England's practice at the Gabba. “Clearly highly popular and popular here in Australia, and the hosts have an impressive record with the pink ball. You can understand why we’re playing.
“Ultimately, you know well in advance it will happen. 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 has no place. I don’t mind it. I don’t think it matches the conventional format. But it's on the calendar. We’ve got to play it, and we just need to be better our opponents at it.”
Joe Root's Record in Day-Night Tests Suffers
Like his counterpart, Australia's Steve Smith, Root's usually stellar stats take a hit in day-night games. The England star has featured in all seven of England’s pink-ball matches so far, and although a hundred in his debut such match against West Indies in 2017, his overall average above 50 falls to 38.5 in these games.
On the other hand, bowler Mitchell Starc holds an average near 29 with a strike-rate of 49.9 overall, yet these figures improve to 17.08 and 33.3 respectively in day-night Tests. In his last pink-ball appearance, against West Indies, he claimed six wickets for nine runs as the opposition were bowled out for a meager 27—career-best figures that were soon surpassed by taking seven wickets for 58 in the next Test.
Deciding Duel Between Root and Starc May Determine Outcome
The head-to-head between Root and Starc is shaping up to be a potential key contests in this series. While Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood have traditionally troubled him more, in their absence in the first Test, the veteran Starc who got him out for scores of zero and eight.
Root later reasoned the initial wicket came from a fine delivery—the kind that may not reach to slip back home. His next dismissal, when he chopped on, amid the team's slump, was an error on his part. “I know I’m a good player,” he said. “I know I’m going to score runs again.”
The Touring Side's Challenges and Readiness
Starc now uses the wobble seam as his preferred weapon nowadays—he admitted he wished he'd heeded to Hazlewood and Cummins advice sooner—and in humid Brisbane, swing could be available. England, trailing 1-0, face additional obstacles in this Test, and contributions by their premier batter would help in recovering from a self-inflicted hole.
It might not need a hundred should there be rapid shootout unfolds, but Root’s lack of a century in Australia continues to haunt him. “I didn’t have long enough to dwell on it,” was his humble reply on being questioned if the stat bothered him in Perth.
Team Selection and Chance for History
Root and his teammates practiced hard over the weekend, with hip-hop providing the backdrop on a hot afternoon. The key sessions are vital for England’s preparations, held under lights.
Mark Wood’s absence with a sore knee has created an opening in the lineup, with Jacks practicing among the batsmen hints he could be the frontrunner. The all-rounder’s off-spin are adequate, and extra runs at number eight might offset any bowling leaks.
That said, Josh Tongue was with the reserves in Canberra and remains an option should England choose pace-heavy bowling, and spinner Bashir was included last week. Much to think about, then, at a ground where England have not won a match for decades.
“It's an opportunity to create history,” Root said on this fact. “It would make it even more satisfying if we succeed at this ground.”
