Joe Root insists England are well prepared for demands of day/night Test cricket

17 August 2017 04:38

Joe Root is confident there will be no pink-ball nightmares for England in this country's first day-night Test match.

In just his second series as captain, Root must contend with the complication of an inaugural opening match under lights at Edgbaston, as England seek to extend their sequence of home series victories over West Indies to six - dating back to 2000.

The advent of floodlights and pink ball loom as an odds leveller in some minds, however, and it is therefore Root's job to put that notion out of the equation.

"We need to go into it with quite an open mind," said Root, whose team were prescribed one extra evening practice session in Birmingham on Monday following a mid-summer round of floodlit Specsavers County Championship matches as initial reconnaissance.

"Obviously there are different challenges, and it might throw up a different rhythm to the game.

"But I do think it is important not to look too far and have too many theories going into it, and that we react to what is thrown in front of us and make sure that if things do start to happen that are different from normal we respond to that quickly and win those sessions."

The new hours of play - 2pm till 9pm, instead off 11am till 6pm - will present an unaccustomed challenge which Root's England will combat with common sense rather than any temporary lifestyle diktats from their medical specialists.

"We're all adults, and everyone has their own way of preparing for games . this will be no different," said the captain, who acknowledges the issue but is confident from his own experience of the pink-ball championship fixtures there will be no mid-match sleep issues.

"You are so tired from the work you have done on the field that you naturally want to go to bed.

"This is one of the different challenges this format presents.

"It is really important we recognise them on the field but also around the cricket that we deal with them very well."

Root insists West Indies - who won their last Test against England in Barbados, to draw the 2015 home series - are highly credible opponents, despite their lowly world ranking and miserable away record.

"Credit has to go to West Indies on that occasion," he said, reflecting on the defeat in Bridgetown.

"They out-played us, and that's a clear indication of what they're capable of."

West Indies have arrived with a point to prove, and their captain Jason Holder has a plan of attack.

"We can look at a number of areas you could probably target," he said.

"I think for us, it's mainly just to make it as uncomfortable as possible for their senior players . and put some pressure on the junior guys who are coming in to make their mark."

Source: PA