'Completely jaded': England's pink-ball preparation under microscope after mass fielding blunders

Jake Weatherald and Joe Root have both admitted to the difficulties with the pink ball after England's horror display in the field.

The visitors dropped five catches on day two at the Gabba with the majority coming during the night session.

Root himself said in the lead up to the second Test that his belief was the Ashes doesn't need a day-night match, only to bat beautifully just days later.

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The centurion from day one was the last to drop a catch off Alex Carey but undoubtedly his was the hardest effort.

"It's certainly different, it's definitely different to a white ball under lights," Root said.

"We worked as hard as we could in the lead up, we had five days of preparation and we did a huge amount of catching and making sure the two days we had under lights we utilised as well and sometimes they just don't stick and you've got to keep applying yourself, keep being ready ... and when that next opportunity comes, you're ready.

"That's the nuances of this format of the game. It's disappointing when it doesn't go your way but the most important thing is how you look forward."

The preparation for the Brisbane fixture earned plenty of criticism from ex-England players, with Michael Vaughan confused as to why players wouldn't take the chance to play in a pink-ball tour match against the Prime Minister's XI in Canberra.

Vaughan believes nothing players do at training can replicate being in a game scenario.

"What I saw today was a team completely jaded," he said on BBC's Test Match Special.

"The only way you get good at taking those chances is concentration. If you have a fielding drill under the lights, you get a catch every other ball.

"If you're not out there on a regular basis, and that chance comes, you have to be concentrating to take that opportunity. The only way you get good at that is by training the brain to do it. Fielding drills are fantastic, but you know the ball is coming to you.

"In a game, you have no clue when it is coming to you and it is completely different."

Weatherald - who scored a half-century in just his second Test - sympathised with the English, admitting he's not just adjusting to the pink ball but the format as a whole.

"It was definitely difficult, we were probably lucky we didn't get as many square catches of the wicket as them ... it is really difficult," he said.

"It's been a hard thing to do. It was hard last week for me with the red ball and obviously the crowds and even this week has been on another level hard.

"I feel for them, I know how hard it is out there, especially when they hit it hard and there's a bit of dew on the wicket as well, it comes flying at you.

"It's not great visuals but it's a different challenge."

In a post-match interview, Marnus Labuschagne also told Fox Cricket the red signs and brown seats at the Gabba make matters even more difficult.