Joe Root has backed in England’s decision to skip the pink ball Prime Minister’s XI game, while saying he believes the Ashes does not need a day/night Test ahead of the second Test at the Gabba starting Thursday.
Root fronted the press after England trained at the Gabba nets on Sunday, a day after they practised at Brisbane’s Allan Border Field on Saturday while Australian young guns Campbell Kellaway, Nathan McSweeney and Oliver Peake made half-centuries against the England Lions in Canberra.
Ben Stokes’ side have backed in their much-ridiculed plan to solely prepare for the challenge of a rampaging Mitchell Starc with a pink Kookaburra under lights in the nets, and Root doubled down on the tourists’ stance, explaining the method to what many former England players have called madness.
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“This is the best way to prepare personally,” Root said. “It’s very different in terms of humidity and heat, and the surface is going to be very different.
“The fact we’re all together and we can ready ourselves as a group is also very important too. Time in the middle is one thing, but as an experienced player, I feel like I know what I need to get the best out of myself.
“This is a very different team to previous Ashes teams I’ve played in out here. One thing we’ve done previously is respond really well to bad weeks of cricket. When we’ve made mistakes we’ve come back out and put really good performances in. That’s something I expect us to do this time around.”
If Root had his way, the ridicule that has come with England’s pink ball preparations would be null and void.
Australia have been the pioneers of day/night Test cricket, staging one every home summer since taking on New Zealand at the Adelaide Oval ten years ago.
The hosts also have a formidable record with the pink ball, winning 13 of 14 day/night Tests, but Root believes the Ashes does not need to be taken away from the daylight.
“I personally don’t think so,” Root said when asked for his view on whether the Gabba contest should be a day/night affair.
“But it does add things. It’s obviously very successful and very popular here and obviously Australia’s got a very good record as well. I can see why we’re playing one of these games.
“It’s part and parcel of (the series), making sure you’re ready for it. A series like this, does it need it? I don’t think so, but doesn’t mean there shouldn’t be one.”
Root’s take would almost certainly be swayed by his own record against the pink Kookaburra.
The 34-year-old averages 38.53, well below his career mark of 50.94, and scored one century in seven day/night Tests.
In Australia, his pink ball average is slightly worse at 34.5 with a top score of 67 in three Tests.
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His form line does not suggest that the Gabba will be the ideal setting for Root to make a mark on the series after lasting just 18 balls for scores of 0 and 8 in the series opener in Perth.
The absence of a century in Australia from Root’s glittering resume continues to hang over his head, but he insists he will be “successful” this summer.
“I come back here this time a completely different player,” Root said.
“I’m no longer captain, a lot more experienced.
“I’ve had a good couple of years heading into this and I’ve got a clear understanding of how I want to score my runs.
“I know that if I get time out there and make good decisions for long periods of time I’m going to be successful.
“I know I’m a good player.”
As for his two innings in Perth, Root said: “I was pretty disappointed in terms of numbers.
“First innings I thought it was a good ball, one of those things you can get early on, and you’ve just got to try to find a way to get through that little phase. It’s tricky at the start.
“Second innings I thought my tempo was really good. One mistake, you play and miss at that or it goes between the keeper and stumps for four, you never think of it again. So, it’s having a bit of realism. Yes there are things I might’ve done differently if I get the opportunity again, but also it’s not the end of the world.”
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As for his teammates, who lasted only 32.5 overs and 34.4 overs to being knocked over for 172 and 164 at Perth Stadium, Root believes England’s problems lay in execution, not their Bazball philosophy.
“I think we just need to execute a lot better and understand how we’re going to score our runs on the given surfaces,” he said.
“We do that individually well, and we do that for long periods of time, that’s the art of batting.
“It’s individually understanding what that looks like in the lead-up to this game, understanding the conditions, understanding the pink ball, the threat the Australian bowlers might pose to you.
“Making sure you’re as ready as you possibly can be, and that you’ve got all the tools you need to survive and be successful and go through all those different moments in games that are going to serve you well.”
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