The Ashes: Joe Root insists England still in the game despite Australia edging second day at The Gabba
JOE ROOT insists the wheels have not come off England’s campaign Down Under after dropped catches handed Australia five extra lives and a first-innings lead at The Gabba on day two of the second Ashes Test.
Root’s unbeaten 138 – his long-awaited maiden hundred Down Under – carried the tourists to a competitive 334 but a disappointing day two performance saw Australia take the initiative in this floodlit second Test.
The Baggy Greens will resume their innings 44 in front after reaching 378-6 and were helped along the way by some scattershot bowling and a handful of missed opportunities.
Wicketkeeper Jamie Smith was the first guilty party as the pink Kookaburra proved elusive, grassing an early nick from Travis Head, before Ben Duckett made two mistakes in the gully and Brydon Carse lost sight of a simple chance under the lights.
Another edge snuck between Root and Smith late on and things will have to sharpen up if England are to claw back the lost ground.
Will Jacks offered cause for optimism with a staggering one-handed leap to dismiss key man Steve Smith, and Yorkshireman Root, who captained 4-0 losses in Australia in 2017-18 and 2021-22, does not believe the trail has gone cold.
“We’re not perfect, we’re all human and we’re going to make mistakes. But it’s how we respond,” he said. “It’s about making sure we turn up with the right frame of mind, right attitude and knowing our best game of cricket is good enough to do very special things here.
“The wheels could have come off and at other times, probably on a tour where I was captain, they would have. But we know our best cricket and when we execute well we’re a very difficult side to play against.
“I don’t think we’re massively out of it at all.”
Root also offered a stout defence of England’s preparations. He suggested the inability to hold on in the field had nothing to do with a lack of hard work in the build-up or their decision to skip a day/night warm-up game in Canberra.
“You can’t replicate the surface, the bounce, the way the nicks come, it’s never going to be exactly the same and it’s never going to be perfect,” he said.
“We’ve got used to conditions, we’ve got used to the heat, we got used to the surfaces. We’ve caught under lights, we’ve caught in daylight and tried to catch in twilight as well. Sometimes they don’t stick and you’re always looking for answers.”
Root will be relieved he no longer has to answer questions about his lack of centuries in Australia’s back yard but is not prepared to fully embrace his achievement while there is a Test on the line.
Travelling fans in Brisbane and many more back at home have already done that for him, though.
“That’s lovely to hear. I’m very grateful for that support,” he said. “But I’ve said a few times, this tour is not about me, it’s about us trying to win the Ashes. My job is to score as many runs as I can and, as a senior batter in the team, I expect that of myself.
“Of course it means more in a win. I think I’ll be more equipped to reflect on it at the end of the game really.”
Opener Jake Weatherald led the Australian reply, hitting 12 fours and one six in an entertaining knock of 72 from just 78 balls.
The 31-year-old spent two years playing at Barnsley Woolley Miners Cricket Club from 2022-23 and after being dismissed for a duck and 23 on his Test debut in the opening clash in Perth, more than proved himself on the biggest stage.
"I feel as though that I can adapt to different scenarios,” said the left-hander.
“Most of my innings I've started off actually quite slowly and then gotten into my innings, which I'm really happy with. Some innings I might have to grind away and leave really well for a whole day, so I'm really happy with that."