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“Second innings I thought my tempo was really good. One mistake, you play and miss at that or it goes between the keeper and stumps for four, you never think of it again. So it’s having a bit of realism. Yes there are things I might’ve done differently if I get the opportunity again, but also it’s not the end of the world.”
Asked if England’s batsmen needed to use a few more gears in Brisbane, balancing attack and defence, Root resorted to a favoured word for captains and caches down the years: execution.
“I think we just need to execute a lot better and understand how we’re going to score our runs on the given surfaces,” Root said. “We do that individually well, and we do that for long periods of time, that’s the art of batting.
“It’s individually understanding what that looks like in the lead-up to this game, understanding the conditions, understanding the pink ball, the threat the Australian bowlers might pose to you.
“Making sure you’re as ready as you possibly can be, and that you’ve got all the tools you need to survive and be successful and go through all those different moments in games that are going to serve you well.”
While Root pointed out that pink-ball Tests can turn on a dime due to the way conditions change when the floodlights come on – something that will be more prevalent in Brisbane given an earlier sunset than Adelaide – he asserted that England were still much better equipped to compete than previous touring sides.
Joe Root at training in Brisbane on Saturday.Credit: Getty Images
“We’ve got different tools we didn’t have last time round,” he said.
“We’ve got a more settled team than last time as well. We might’ve lost a bit of experience in terms of bowling, but we’ve got different attributes that suit these conditions really well.
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“There’s a good inner belief in what we’re trying to do and how we want to play our cricket, and that’s got to stay right at the front of what we do going into this week.
“I know if I get time out there and make good decisions for long periods of time I’m going to be successful and build those innings to set up games for us to win.”
While unsure of when he would be ready to resume, Root expected that fast man Mark Wood would figure again at some point in the series.
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