Root Defends England, Says Gabba Fielding Lapses Aren’t Prep-Related

The English team is once again under fire, as it missed several chances to bowl out the Australians on day two of the Gabba test. Due to that, the home team has now established a strong lead of 44 runs over England. This is a crucial lead that is expected to become bigger if Australia bats for another two sessions on the third day of the Gabba test.

A lot of people are blaming the pre-test prep sessions of England for the lapses seen on day two. They believe England took various things casually, which has now given them a stern lesson on the field. Joe Root, however, is not happy with this criticism, stating that the team did everything to prepare properly for the second Ashes test.

"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 and making sure we utilised those two sessions under lights well.” said Joe Root at the post-day press conference.

He further said that the Gabba pitch is fast and bouncy, so the players shouldn’t be blamed for everything. They are certainly doing their best to perform well in the middle, but catches can be dropped at any stage of the game.

"You could look at it like that [England could have played in Canberra] but you can't replicate that surface [at the Gabba], 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.” said Joe Root.

The England batter then explained in detail how the team prepared for the match by training under like-for-like conditions. They worked hard while keeping the actual match conditions in mind, so the players could get a clear idea of how the pink-ball challenge would unfold in the second test.

"In the lead up to this game we've got used to conditions, we've got used to the heat, we got used to the surfaces. The nets were at 3mm [grass length], the same as the wicket. We faced our own bowlers, 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.” said Joe Root.

"Sometimes they just don't stick and you've got to keep applying yourself and wanting the ball so you're ready when that next opportunity comes." added Joe Root.

Fielding Under Lights Was Really Difficult, Says Jake Weatherald

The Australian opening batter, Jake Weatherald, also admitted that fielding under lights was very challenging. He described his own struggles on day one, when he faced several difficulties on the field. Keeping that in mind, he said Australia were fortunate not to have many catches offered on the square of the wicket. It is the exact thing that has troubled the England fielders who missed several chances in that precise area.

"It was definitely difficult. We were probably lucky we didn't get as many catches square of the wicket as them. It is really difficult. It has been a hard thing to do and it was hard last week for me with the red ball, obviously against the crowds. This week has been another level hard, especially square of the wicket.” said Jake Weatherald.

Besides dealing with the challenge of the pink ball, England’s fielders also struggled to catch a wet ball. The incoming dew made things worse for them, giving Australia some fortunate opportunities to score more runs before the end of day two.

"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. It's a different challenge." concluded Jake Weatherald.