Joe Root’s England players intend to use the image of Steve Smith laughing at them after Brisbane as a source of extra motivation when they look to level the Ashes series in the historic day-night second Test that starts on Saturday.
Root was irked at how Australia had used Jonny Bairstow’s curious head‑butt incident to their advantage at the end of the 10-wicket defeat, through their on-field sledging, a local media storm and the Cameron Bancroft press conference that left his captain, Smith, in slightly overblown hysterics.
“If that’s not motivation to the players I don’t know what is. Seriously …” Root said as the England captain prepared for the first pink ball match between the sides at what will be a sold-out Adelaide Oval. “Hopefully that will work massively in our favour.
“I know it’s an Ashes series, there is a lot on the line and naturally you are going to be motivated. But, knowing the characters in our dressing room, that will really give them a bit of something else to make sure we put things right this week.”
For all their annoyance at Australia’s approach, Root insisted that his side would not get dragged into trying to match the on-field chirping encountered in the first Test and appears set to continue, saying that when it comes to what is acceptable, “their line and our line are slightly different things”. He added: “That’s not how we roll.”
Root was honest enough to admit that the suspension of his chief enforcer, Ben Stokes, has been felt on tour. The all‑rounder, now waiting on the Crown Prosection Service’s review of his ongoing criminal case, will instead be turning out for Canterbury in New Zealand this weekend after signing a short-term deal allowed by the England and Wales Cricket Board.
Though a mild-mannered character himself, Root and his players have clearly been stirred up by events at the Gabba. The targeting of Bairstow by Australia’s fielders when batting, from which the head-butt story seemed to stem, was of particular annoyance.
“It’s never nice when your person is questioned and your actions are taken out of context,” Root said, in reference to the wicketkeeper’s slightly gauche greeting for Bancroft in a Perth bar during the first night on tour. It was described as an attack by sections of the local media and England, while backing their man, imposed a midnight curfew in response.
Australia have won all three of their day-night Tests to England’s one from one but the pink ball and the Adelaide Oval surface have been tipped to assist Root’s attack in finding the lateral movement that proved so elusive in Brisbane. Fitness-wise, there remains a doubt over Moeen Ali’s cut spinning finger and he did not bowl in the nets on Thursday.
“The day-night Test has come at a good time for us,” said Root, who added that cooler conditions and some rain may create English-style conditions. “Our big focus moving forward is really being ruthless as a bowling unit at getting the ball moving. Do that and I have full confidence we will bowl them out cheaply on a number of occasions on this tour.”
England are monitoring the progress of Mark Wood, who is with the Lions squad in Perth. The Durham quick, on the comeback trail from ankle problems, played against a Queensland XI at the start of the week. His additional pace, when fit, brings with it the temptation of adding him to the squad for the Waca Test.
Before that comes the daunting challenge of facing Mitchell Starc and co under lights. The call from the England captain is to continue the tactic of batting time in order to tire out Australia’s four‑man attack, even if in the first innings at Brisbane, when a 400-plus score appeared on, the first of two lower-order collapses undermined them.
Another peppering of the tail is anticipated. Jimmy Anderson, the No11 who was left bruised in Brisbane but was first in the nets on Thursday to work on the issue, said: “If we’re batting with a [specialist] batsman we might need to hang around a bit, take a few blows and just battle it out at times.”
