Joe Root has questioned whether the Ashes should feature a day-night Test match as the former England captain enters the Gabba clash remaining calm after his shaky start to the series.

Since winning the first one at Adelaide Oval in 2015, Australia have been the strongest proponents of the day-night Test, hosting 13 of the 24 played worldwide and winning 12 of those.

Pink-ball Tests have featured in each of Australia’s home Ashes series since the format was introduced but England have never reciprocated when hosting.

England’s only home pink-ball Test finished in a big defeat of West Indies in August 2017.

Root is the most experienced in the day-night Test format of any England player on tour, but with seven caps, he still trails six of the Australian XI that won the Ashes series opener in Perth.

With his side fighting to level the series against the masters of the format, Root was asked whether the Ashes needed a pink-ball Test.

“I personally don’t think so,” he said ahead of the second Test.

“But it does add things. It’s obviously very successful and very popular here and obviously Australia’s got a very good record as well. I can see why we’re playing one of these games.

“It’s part and parcel of (the series), making sure you’re ready for it. A series like this, does it need it? I don’t think so, but doesn’t mean there shouldn’t be one.”

Australia have played three day-night Test matches since England’s last foray into the format in early 2023.

But Root believed it was the right call for their out-of-form batting order to controversially skip the day-night tour match against the Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra and head straight to Brisbane to acclimatise.

“You can tell it’s very different in terms of the humidity,” Root said.

“The surface is going to be very different and the fact that we’re all together and readying ourselves as a group is really important too.”

Root began the series with meagre scores of zero and eight in the first-Test loss to continue his unhappy history in Australian conditions.

The ICC’s top-ranked Test batter averages 33.33 Down Under compared to 50.94 across all Test venues, and has never scored a century in the country from 29 innings.

The stakes could not be higher for Root and the English batting order following the series opener; in 141 years of five-match Ashes series, no English side has ever recovered from 2-0 down to win the urn.

Root was “pretty disappointed” with his efforts in Perth but is remaining grounded.

“(I’m) having a bit of realism and understanding that yes there are things that I might’ve done differently if I had an opportunity again but also, it’s not the end of the world,” he said.

“I know if I get time out there and I make good decisions for long periods of time, I’m going to be successful.

“I know that I’m a good player, it’s just about putting that into the games out here.”