Joe Root, the centurion from England’s first innings, has urged his teammates to embrace a confident and expressive approach as they aim to recover in the second Ashes Test against Australia. The home side has secured a 44-run advantage after bundling England out for 334 and then posting 378/6, with notable fifties from Jake Weatherald, Marcus Labuschagne, and interim captain Steve Smith.
“It’s clear we weren’t our best at that phase of the game,” Root admitted to TNT Sports, reflecting on the team’s performance. “But the way that we dragged things back, by managing to take those wickets in a cluster, it shows what the nature of this game can be like, especially with the pink ball.” He highlighted the team’s resilience in turning the tide during Australia’s innings.
Root’s individual performance was a highlight for England, as he remained unbeaten on 138, achieving his maiden Test century in Australia and his 40th Test hundred overall. A late flourish saw him and Jofra Archer put on 70 runs for the last wicket in just 9.4 overs. Aside from Zak Crawley’s 76, England’s batting order faltered, with four players departing for ducks.
England’s fielding has also been a point of concern, with several dropped catches, including costly errors from Jamie Smith and Ben Duckett. Travis Head and Alex Carey were beneficiaries of these missed opportunities. Despite these lapses, Root emphasized the team’s dedication to refining their fielding skills under the unique conditions of day-night cricket. “We get a lot of exposure to [floodlit cricket] in ODI cricket and T20 cricket, but it is slightly different,” he explained. “But you still back yourself. We practice really hard for the five days leading up to it. We made sure we got our work done. Unfortunately, it’s just one of those days where a few didn’t quite stick to hand. We’ve got to make sure we stay confident, we stay up and, when we get those chances later on in the fixture, we’re ready to take them.”
Looking ahead to the crucial Day 3, Root is optimistic about England’s potential to turn the game around. “We’ve obviously got some more work to do tomorrow, but we’re certainly well and truly in this game. More than anything, we’ve got to come out with a huge amount of energy and positivity. We know our best cricket can turn a game very quickly, so we’ll turn up tomorrow with the right attitude. We know that, if we’re anywhere near our best, then very quickly this game can turn in our favour.”
Root’s strategic focus is on the bowlers dismantling Australia’s remaining batsmen early to keep the first-innings deficit manageable. “If we get things right in the morning, and go about things as a team in the correct fashion, then we can put ourselves in a really strong position on a wicket which looks like it’s plating,” he stated. “It looks like there might be a few cracks to work with later on in the game. But clearly, we’ve got to look at tomorrow morning first and foremost, and get things right there.”
He believes the batting talent in the squad can perform under pressure. “When we get out there with the bat, the quality that we have and the talent that’s in that dressing room can go out there and express themselves in the right way on that surface to go and get a big score, which could be very tricky batting last on that surface.” Root concluded by detailing his personal approach: “I’ve got quite a clear plan for how I score my runs. I’ve just got to back myself and understand that, if I do that for long periods of time and make good decisions, I’ll be successful.”
