England’s Joe Root on Sunday questioned whether the Ashes needed a pink-ball Test as he expressed confidence in his ability to get a big score in the day-night clash against Australia in Brisbane. 

The former captain, Test cricket’s second highest run-scorer after Sachin Tendulkar, has played in each of England’s seven previous day-night Tests. They have won two and lost five. But he is not sold on the idea of the matches being part of an Ashes series, with the first three days of the second Test at the Gabba sold out. “I personally don’t think so,” he told reporters when asked if the Ashes needed the second Test, which begins on Thursday, to be a day-night match. “It does add to things. It’s obviously very successful and popular here and obviously Australia have got a very good record as well.