"We worked as hard as we could in the lead-up to this, we had five days of prep and we did a huge amount of catching, Root said. We made sure we utilised those two [training] sessions under lights well. You can't replicate that surface, the bounce, the way the nicks come. It's never going to be exactly the same, it's never going to be perfect. All you can do is give yourself the best possible chance and I think we've done that."
"It is really difficult. It was hard [in Perth] last week with the red ball against the crowds. This week has been another level hard, especially square of the wicket. I feel for them, I understand how hard it is out there, especially when the ball is being hit hard and there is a bit of dew on the wicket as well. It comes flying at you and it's not great visuals."
A string of dropped catches attributed to human error rather than poor preparation allowed Australia to finish day two on 378 for six, a lead of 44. Multiple Australian batsmen including Travis Head, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis and Michael Neser received lifelines. England completed five days of preparation and extensive catching drills, including sessions under lights, daylight and twilight, but conceded that practice cannot perfectly replicate match bounce and nick behavior. The pink ball, heat and dew reduced visibility and made catches more difficult. England stressed the need to respond with the right mindset and play their best cricket to recover.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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