"It's obviously very successful and popular here, and obviously Australia have got a very good record [played 14, won 13]. You can see why we're playing one of those games. Ultimately, you, know from two years out it is going to be there. It's part and parcel of making sure you're ready for it. A series like this, does it need it? I don't think so but it doesn't mean it shouldn't be here either."
"Like his opposite number, Steve Smith, Root's typically stellar numbers take a bit of a nose dive against the pink ball. The Yorkshireman has played all seven of England's floodlit Tests to date and, despite a century in his first outing against West Indies in 2017, a career average of 50.9 drops to 38.5. Conversely a bowler, Mitchell Starc, averages 28.97 at a strike-rate of 49.9 overall but 17.08 and 33.3 respectively with a pink ball."
Joe Root prefers traditional Test cricket over day‑night matches but accepts the pink‑ball format in the Ashes and intends to prepare and perform well in it. Root has played all seven of England's floodlit Tests; his career Test average falls from 50.9 to 38.5 in those games despite an early century. Mitchell Starc's overall bowling average and strike‑rate (28.97 and 49.9) improve dramatically with the pink ball (17.08 average, 33.3 strike‑rate), including six for nine in Jamaica and seven for 58 in Perth. The Root–Starc match‑up looks set to be a key series battleground.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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