Despite Australia taking a 44-run lead on day two Friday in Brisbane, Joe Root stated that England were “well and truly” still in the day-night second Ashes Test.
Root’s incredible 138 not out, his first century on Australian soil, helped England to 334 in their opening innings.
Australia finished on 378-6 to give themselves the chance to establish a substantial lead on a deteriorating surface, but some careless bowling and lost catches let the hosts get back into the match.
“It’s clear we weren’t at our best… but we took those wickets in a cluster, which shows the nature of this game,” Root told TNT Sports, referring to Brydon Carse removing Cameron Green and Steve Smith within four deliveries.
“More work to do but we’re well and truly in this game. It is different fielding to a pink ball, we practise really hard, just one of those days when things didn’t stick to hand,” he added.
“We’ll keep backing ourselves. We need to take four wickets. It’s a simple game. Energy and positivity. We know our best cricket can turn a game very quickly. If we are anywhere near our best this game can turn in our favour.”
In addition, Root reflected on his breakout ton—his 40th overall—and how relieved he was to have the monkey off his back.
“I tried not to approach anything different to the last couple of years,” he said. Any time you contribute in an Ashes it means a huge amount. The most enjoyable thing was to get into a position to get us in the game.”
