Stokes struggles for second time

Ben Stokes doesn’t appear to be in the kind of form that could save the Ashes for England, given the star latest lean performance for Canterbury province in New Zealand’s domestic limited-overs cricket championship.

Stokes, who is under police investigation over an alleged assault outside a Bristol nightclub in September, scored 34 and took a catch but failed to take a wicket in seven overs as Canterbury lost by seven wickets to Auckland on Wednesday. It was at least an improvement on his Canterbury debut last week when he scored only two runs in a six-ball innings and went wicketless in nine overs.