Root thought Stokes with England kit was 'wind up'

Stokes arrives in New Zealand (0:50) England’s Ben Stokes has arrived in New Zealand to see family amid speculation surrounding his Ashes participation. (0:50) 5:05 PM ET George Dobell Joe Root was as surprised as anyone to see pictures of Ben Stokes at Heathrow on Sunday, and he thought it may be a “wind up” at first, but accepts there is no point dwelling on the possibility of him returning…

November 30, 2017
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Root on Smith laughter: 'If that's not motivation, I don't know what is'

WATCH – Smith loses it at Bancroft’s reply to journalist (1:27) Steven Smith burst out laughing at Cameron Bancroft’s reply to a journalist regarding Jonny Bairstow’s headbutt (1:27) 5:07 PM ET The memory of Steven Smith laughing in the Brisbane post-game press conference is all the motivation England need in Adelaide according to captain Joe Root. The England camp were underwhelmed by the image of the Australia captain in near…

November 30, 2017
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'Their line and our line are slightly different things'

WATCH – Smith loses it at Bancroft’s reply to journalist (1:27) Steven Smith burst out laughing at Cameron Bancroft’s reply to a journalist regarding Jonny Bairstow’s headbutt (1:27) 5:01 PM ET The memory of Steven Smith laughing in the Brisbane post-game press conference is all the motivation England need in Adelaide according to captain Joe Root. The England camp were underwhelmed by the image of the Australia captain in near…

November 30, 2017
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New Zealand bowl on grassy pitch; Ambris debuts

3:00 AM ET Toss New Zealand chose to bowl v West IndiesLive scorecard and ball-by-ball details Jason Holder talks to West Indies’ U-19 World Cup winners in 2016, Shimron Hetmyer and Alzarri Joseph Getty Images New Zealand captain Kane Williamson chose to bowl in the first home Test of the summer against West Indies on a sunny morning in Wellington. The Basin Reserve sported a surface with plenty of grass, but…

November 30, 2017
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Stokes decision more important than the Ashes – Angus Fraser

Stokes arrives in New Zealand (0:50) England’s Ben Stokes has arrived in New Zealand to see family amid speculation surrounding his Ashes participation. (0:50) 10:48 AM ET Vithushan Ehantharajah England selector Angus Fraser is hopeful of imminent clarity over Ben Stokes and his ongoing police investigation, but acknowledged that the situation is more important than purely having him play cricket again. On Wednesday, Avon and Somerset Police said Stokes’ case…

November 30, 2017
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Stanikzai and Rashid propel Afghanistan forward

3:00 AM ET UAE 100 for 5 (Anwar 29*, Rashid 3-24) trail Afghanistan 510 for 9 dec (Ihsanullah 124, Stanikzai 114, Rahmat 103, Raza 5-148)Scorecard Asghar Stanikzai holds up four fingers after scoring his fourth century of the current Intercontinental Cup competition Peter Della Penna Asghar Stanikzai‘s fourth first-class century of the season – fifth overall – was backed up by a typically incisive spell (15-6-24-3) from Rashid Khan as Afghanistan…

November 30, 2017
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Lahore Blues cruise to National T20 Cup title

3:00 AM ET ESPNcricinfo staff Lahore Blues 131 for 3 (Imam-ul-Haq 59, Hafeez 33) beat Lahore Whites 127 for 5 (Butt 62, Jabbar 2-24) by seven wicketsScorecard and ball-by-ball details Imam-ul-Haq had little trouble against spin Getty Images In a tournament replete with close finishes, the final of the National T20 Cup was a damp squib. Lahore Blues sealed a comfortable victory against Lahore Whites, winning by seven wickets with nearly…

November 30, 2017
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Say what you think: XI Ashes sledges

November 30, 2017

Michael Clarke and James Anderson exchange words © Getty Images In the wake of a fractious (and slightly farcical) finish to the Brisbane Test, sledging is on the Ashes agenda again. As with Michael Clarke’s robust advice to James Anderson in the same match four years ago, the stump mics again picked up Australia’s chatter in the middle – although this time there was a subtler edge to attempts to…

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Kohli, Dhoni meet CoA about player contracts

7:55 AM ET ESPNcricinfo staff India captain Virat Kohli, senior player MS Dhoni and coach Ravi Shastri met the committee of administrators (CoA) and other BCCI officials in Delhi to work out their schedules and compensation packages in the coming years. The players’ contracts have been up for renewal since September, and it has been widely reported that they are not entirely satisfied with their share of BCCI revenue. A…

November 30, 2017
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Former India women cricketer Sreerupa Bose dies aged 66

7:43 AM ET ESPNcricinfo staff Sreerupa Bose, the former India women’s international, has died aged 66, following a cardiac arrest. Bose represented the country in two ODIs against New Zealand women in 1985. She went wicketless, but conceded just 35 runs off 13 overs. After her playing days with Bengal, Bose, a medium pace-bowling allrounder, was in charge as head coach of the national team at the 1993, 1997 and…

November 30, 2017
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