Joe Root spent a decent chunk of England’s first session at the Gabba glued to a left-arm ‘dog-thrower’, hunting for ideas rather than magic bullets before Thursday’s day-night Ashes Test. “I think the first innings, to be honest, it was a pretty good ball,” he said, still matter-of-fact about the delivery from Mitchell Starc that had sent him back for nought in Perth. In the second dig, he added, “I just made a slight error of judgement and it costs you.”
Those dismissals – Starc now has him ten times in Tests, Root averaging 17.36 in the duel – have inevitably become the focus. England, one-nil down, know the numbers too: Starc owns 81 pink-ball wickets at 17.08, streets ahead of anyone else. Half of every day at the Gabba will unfold under lights, and no-one pretends that’s anything but tailor-made for Australia’s 35-year-old quick.
The tourists’ nets on Sunday told the story. With the Lions and their spare bowlers tied up in Canberra, David Saker drove up two left-arm throw-down specialists from the Sunshine Coast. Coaches and assorted net bowlers worked overtime; Ben Stokes was the only frontline bowler who turned his arm over. “You could play and miss at that, or it goes between stumps and keeper and goes for four, and you never think about it again,” Root reflected on the second-innings inside-edge that ricocheted onto his stumps for eight.
Fine margins, yes, but England are resisting any narrative that Root has a Starc problem. The batter himself points to a lively Perth surface, the extra carry with a hard Kookaburra and, crucially, small sample size under lights. Privately, the coaches applaud Starc’s newer wobble-seam ball – a delivery that now worries both edges – yet feel workable solutions exist. “In England that probably doesn’t carry,” Root suggested. Translation: same method, slightly kinder conditions and the ball buries into the turf.
Technically, Root tinkered on Sunday with his guard and trigger, trying to stay leg-side of the ball for longer and delay that inevitable plant towards cover. Those watching felt the adjustment looked natural enough. He remains England’s problem-solver-in-chief; the squad’s collective view is that if he clicks, the rest usually slot in.
Match situation matters too. Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood’s absence in Perth left Starc as the senior seamer, forcing him to shoulder spells he might not at Brisbane. England feel that can be exploited by sharper running and old-fashioned strike rotation, rather than grand counter-attacks. Whether they get a surface to facilitate that remains to be seen; Sunday’s strip looked green but hard, a common sight two days out in Queensland.
Australia, meanwhile, are happy to keep the spotlight on Starc. They talk about workload management but also know his first spell with a pink ball can shred top orders. Travis Head called him “our game-breaker”. No argument there.
England’s counter will be less dramatic. Short sessions against left-arm pace, small technical tweaks, reminding themselves Starc has to hit good areas repeatedly. The Gabba square is quick to dry once the Queensland sun breaks through; a 5.30pm start means the ball can soften before the lights take full effect. They are small comforts, but real enough to cling to in a tight series.
Root, though, summed up the team mood. “It was just one of those things you can get on a lively wicket… you have to wear it.” The words were delivered quietly, without fuss, which feels about right. England know exactly what – and who – is coming; the task is to find answers without turning the challenge into a drama.
