\u201cThis is the best way to prepare personally,\u201d Root said. \u201cIt\u2019s very different in terms of humidity and heat, and the surface is going to be very different.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fact we\u2019re 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.<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1764373455_871_poster-fallback.png\"\/)
<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a very different team to previous Ashes teams I\u2019ve played in out here. One thing we\u2019ve done previously is respond really well to bad weeks of cricket. When we\u2019ve made mistakes we\u2019ve come back out and put really good performances in. That\u2019s something I expect us to do this time around.\u201d<\/p>\n
BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA – NOVEMBER 30: Joe Root speaks to media prior to an England nets session at The Gabba on November 30, 2025 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Matt Roberts\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
If Root had his way, the ridicule that has come with England\u2019s pink ball preparations would be null and void.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cI personally don\u2019t think so,\u201d Root said when asked for his view on whether the Gabba contest should be a day\/night affair.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut it does add things. It\u2019s obviously very successful and very popular here and obviously Australia\u2019s got a very good record as well. I can see why we\u2019re playing one of these games.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s part and parcel of (the series), making sure you\u2019re ready for it. A series like this, does it need it? I don\u2019t think so, but doesn\u2019t mean there shouldn\u2019t be one.\u201d<\/p>\n
Root\u2019s take would almost certainly be swayed by his own record against the pink Kookaburra.<\/p>\n
The 34-year-old averages 38.53, well below his career mark of 50.94, and scored one century in seven day\/night Tests.<\/p>\n
In Australia, his pink ball average is slightly worse at 34.5 with a top score of 67 in three Tests.<\/p>\n
Wood out of second Test with knee injury | 01:51<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The absence of a century in Australia from Root\u2019s glittering resume continues to hang over his head, but he insists he will be \u201csuccessful\u201d this summer. <\/p>\n
\u201cI come back here this time a completely different player,\u201d Root said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m no longer captain, a lot more experienced.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve had a good couple of years heading into this and I\u2019ve got a clear understanding of how I want to score my runs.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know that if I get time out there and make good decisions for long periods of time I\u2019m going to be successful.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know I\u2019m a good player.\u201d<\/p>\n
BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA – NOVEMBER 30: Joe Root takes a drink during an England nets session at The Gabba on November 30, 2025 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Matt Roberts\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
As for his two innings in Perth, Root said: \u201cI was pretty disappointed in terms of numbers.<\/p>\n
\u201cFirst innings I thought it was a good ball, one of those things you can get early on, and you\u2019ve just got to try to find a way to get through that little phase. It\u2019s tricky at the start.<\/p>\n
\u201cSecond 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\u2019s having a bit of realism. Yes there are things I might\u2019ve done differently if I get the opportunity again, but also it\u2019s not the end of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stokes willing to accept criticism | 01:48<\/p>\n
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\u2019s problems lay in execution, not their Bazball philosophy.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we just need to execute a lot better and understand how we\u2019re going to score our runs on the given surfaces,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe do that individually well, and we do that for long periods of time, that\u2019s the art of batting.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaking sure you\u2019re as ready as you possibly can be, and that you\u2019ve 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.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Joe Root has backed in England\u2019s decision to skip the pink ball Prime Minister\u2019s XI game, while saying…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":318105,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[89805,64,63,689,171614,7292,179507,651,89819,2667,1208,2057,2105,179502,179505,17066,179503,33831,26596,18779,87444,1736,44,3583,677,89826,179504,179506,174076,701,38710,5338],"class_list":["post-318104","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-australia","tag-allan-border-field","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australia-and-new-zealand","tag-australian-bowlers","tag-australian-capital-territory","tag-australian-young-guns","tag-brisbane","tag-campbell-kellaway","tag-canberra","tag-england","tag-europe","tag-getty-images-inc","tag-ideal-setting","tag-issues-surprise-pink","tag-joe-root","tag-knee-injurycricket","tag-mark-wood","tag-matt-roberts","tag-nathan-mcsweeney","tag-nets-session","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-northern-europe","tag-oceania","tag-oliver-peake","tag-pink-ball-average","tag-pink-ball-preparations","tag-pink-ball","tag-queensland","tag-series-opener","tag-the-gabba"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/318104","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=318104"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/318104\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/318105"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=318104"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=318104"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=318104"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}