The Perth Stadium curator has promised the wicket will be green, fast and bouncy but Stokes offered no thoughts on whether England would attack with four quicks or pick the specialist spinner, Shoaib Bashir, in their 11.
The contest between England's dialled-down "Bazball" approach and Australia's more methodical batting could determine who prevails in the Ashes series beginning in Perth on Friday.
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The Indian team management has kept the media guessing but Rishabh Pant is set to become India's 38th Test captain.
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'It is the biggest stage and it is the brightest lights. It is a series that could define teams, the people and players within it.'
A record-extending 52nd ODI century by Virat Kohli and a rapid 57 from Rohit Sharma paved the way for India's victory in the series-opener in Ranchi.
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At the stroke of midnight, Harmanpreet Kaur created her legacy, "broke the barrier" and declared that this is not the end but just the beginning.
Ganguly lauded Gill's leadership during India's tour of England, noting the challenge of captaining at a young age in such conditions
A night before the historic final against South Africa, the Indian women's team captain received a special phone call and it was none other than the history maker himself.
Ruturaj Gaikwad made an unbeaten fifty following Harshit Rana's three-wicket burst as India A crushed South Africa A by nine wickets in the second unofficial ODI in Rajkot on Sunday.
'I was not sure if Australia would allow me to cross the border after the semifinals.'
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A spirited Jammu and Kashmir, riding on opener Qamran Iqbal's superb hundred, thrashed Delhi by seven wickets.
Australia skipper Mitchell Marsh expressed disappointment at the loss but praised India's all-round performance.
Shubman Gill's form in the series is a concern for India as he has now gone six games without a half-century.
Vice-captain Rishabh Pant said India's batters should have adapted to the challenge of playing on a tricky pitch at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
IMAGES from Day 2 of the 1st Ashes Test in Perth on Saturday.
On Friday, in the second T20I against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Suryakumar Yadav lost yet another toss as Mitchell Marsh called correctly and opted to bowl first.
IMAGES from Day 1 of the 1st Ashes Test played in Perth on Friday.
Shubman Gill retired hurt after suffering a neck sprain while attempting a slog-sweep off Simon Harmer on the second day of the first Test against South Africa, in Kolkata, on Saturday.
Rishabh Pant's place in the playing eleven is far from guaranteed, while Washington Sundar and Nitish Kumar Reddy are locked in a tight contest for the additional all-rounder's slot as India confront several selection dilemmas ahead of the first ODI against South Africa in Ranchi.
India have slumped to 142 in the FIFA rankings -- their lowest in nearly a decade.
With Bumrah leading the charge, India prised out five wickets in the second session to snuff out South Africa's hopes of reaching the 200 mark.
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In a rain-marred contest at Canberra, India skipper Suryakumar Yadav lit up the night with a couple of towering sixes - enough to take him into an elite club of T20I power-hitters, becoming only the second Indian after Rohit Sharma to reach 150 sixes in the format.
India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur hoped that injured Pratika Rawal will be fit for the semifinal against Australia after the opener twisted her ankle while fielding and hobbled off the ground during the abandoned match against Bangladesh in the Women's World Cup, in Navi Mumbai, on Sunday.
As many as 16 wickets fell on the opening day as visitors Hyderabad were left reeling at 88/6 after bundling out Jammu and Kashmir for 170 on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy Elite Group D match in Jammu on Sunday.
Mandhana led the Indian charge at the top, and her partnerships with opening batter Pratika Rawal created quite a buzz in the showpiece event.
Rishabh Pant's 'chaotic' leadership style and batting might be the wildcard India need to level the Test series against South Africa, former cricketer Jonty Rhodes said on Friday.
Gautam Gambhir, India's head coach, may have expressed support for the Kolkata pitch, but it continues to draw criticism from all quarters.
Sometimes you back your plans but execution doesn't go your way: Washington
Grind pays off for Ruturaj Gaikwad, now upto him and luck to prove his 50-over mettle.
Many months into his retirement from T20I and Test format, the 38-year-old right-hander on Tuesday said he is getting used to sitting at home and watching the action unfold on television instead of being part of it.
Pat Cummins on Saturday rated himself a "half chance" to play the day-night Test against England in Brisbane from December 4.
Young India opener Abhishek Sharma and spinner Varun Chakravarthy continued to occupy the top spots among batters and bowlers in the latest ICC Men's T20 Players' Rankings issued on Wednesday.
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