Joe Root dismissed suggestions that England’s rash of dropped catches stemmed from poor preparation, putting the costly errors down to simple human fallibility after a gruelling second day in the field. Travis Head, Alex Carey (twice), Josh Inglis and Michael Neser all benefited from England’s misses as Australia closed day two of the second Test on 378 for six, leading by 44.
“We prepared as hard as we could,” Root said. “We had five full days, did a huge amount of catching, and made sure to use those two sessions under lights. But you can’t fully replicate the surface, the bounce or the way edges carry. It’s never perfect. All you can do is give yourself the best chance—and we did that.”
Root added that England had trained in all conditions—heat, daylight, twilight and under lights—and insisted the drops were part of the game. “Sometimes they don’t stick. We’re not perfect; we’re all human and we’ll make mistakes. What matters is how we respond. We need to turn up tomorrow with the right attitude, knowing our best cricket is good enough to do something special here.”
Australia’s Jake Weatherald, who made his first Test half-century with 72, offered sympathy for England’s fielders at the Gabba, saying the visibility with the pink ball was “another level hard”. “We were lucky not to get as many chances square of the wicket,” he said. “It comes at you fast, especially with dew on the surface. It’s not great visuals.”
Despite the missed opportunities, Root felt England remained well in the contest—thanks in large part to his own unbeaten 138, his first Test hundred in Australia. “We’re not massively out of the game at all… not far behind if we start well tomorrow,” he said.
Root played down the personal milestone: “This tour isn’t about me or about scoring a hundred in Australia. My job is to score as many runs as I can. As a senior batter, that’s what I expect of myself, and that’s the attitude I’ll take every time.”
0 Comments