'We're human, going to make mistakes' - Root on England's dropped catches

Joe Root came to England's defence after a ragged day in the field at the Gabba, where they shelled five catches, four of them under lights in a single session. Combined with erratic lines and lengths, the lapses allowed Australia to wrest control and build what could be a vital 44-run lead in the pink-ball Test.

England don't play as many day-night Tests as Australia, and Root noted that despite extensive preparation ahead of the second Test, the conditions under lights proved hard to fully simulate.

"We worked as hard as we could in the lead-up to this, we had five days of prep and we did a huge amount of catching," Root said. "We made sure we utilised those two [training] sessions under lights well. You can't replicate that surface, the bounce, the way the nicks come. It's never going to be exactly the same, it's never going to be perfect. All you can do is give yourself the best possible chance and I think we've done that.

"In the lead-up to this game we've got used to conditions, we've got used to the heat, we've got used to the surfaces. We've caught under lights, we've caught in daylight and tried to catch in twilight as well. Sometimes they don't stick. We're not perfect, we're all human and we're going to make mistakes. It's how we respond. It's about making sure we turn up tomorrow with the right frame of mind, the right attitude, and knowing our best game of cricket is good enough to do very special things here."

England's five dropped catches according to Cricbuzz's ball-by-ball commentary:

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Marnus Labuschagne, speaking to Fox Cricket in a sideline interview after stumps, admitted that catching under lights in Brisbane can be particularly challenging.

"Yeah, it can be tricky. I think that's probably the time I practice fielding the most, is pink ball cricket. Just, especially here at the Gabba with the seats and with a lot of the sideboarding being red, yeah, it's real tricky so, yeah, I mean, it's good for us but, yeah, it's always tricky."

Jack Weatherald felt Australia benefited from the fact that many of the chances didn't go square of the wicket, an area he believes is the hardest to field under lights.

"We were lucky we didn't get as many catches square of the wicket as them," he said. "It is really difficult. It was hard last week with the red ball against the crowds. This week has been another level hard, especially square of the wicket. I feel for them, I understand how hard it is out there, especially when the ball is being hit hard and there is a bit of dew on the wicket as well. It comes flying at you and it's not great visuals."

Even as Australia stretched their advantage under the lights, Root felt England had done just enough in the final hour to keep the door open.

"It's clear we weren't at our best in phases of the game," he told TNT Sports. "The way we dragged things back in the final session shows what this game can be like, especially with the pink ball. We're got work to do tomorrow but we're well and truly in this game.

"If we get things right in the morning and apply ourselves in our own manner, in the current fashion, we can put ourselves in a really strong position on a wicket that looks like it's plating. It looks like there might be a few cracks to work with later on in the game. First and foremost we've got to get things right tomorrow morning.

"We have to come out tomorrow with a huge amount of energy and positivity. We know that our best cricket can turn a game really quickly. If we're anywhere near our best, this game can turn in our favour. It could be very tricky batting last on their surface."