There can be no worse sound for a bowler than the blare of the no-ball klaxon, not least when you are under the pump, defending an under-par total with a set Virat Kohli on strike. For Ben Stokes, it was a brutal moment which summed up a frustrating night.

Having foxed him with a slower ball only to find out he had overstepped by a fine margin, Stokes rushed Kohli for pace as he looked to swing him into the leg side, hitting the sort of length that had worked so well for England in the series opener. But the ball flew away off Kohli's outside edge, travelling 61 metres to clear the fielder on the third-man boundary and fly into the lower tier. Stokes offered a wry smile in response.

But an over later, that expression had turned to one of clear frustration. After Ishan Kishan had creamed him over square leg for six off the sixth ball of his first (and only) over - which cost 17 - Stokes had a straightforward chance to dismiss the same batsman at long-on off Adil Rashid. A wicket might have given England half a sniff, but he shelled the catch and the rest of the chase proved to be a cruise.

Those ten minutes were the nadir on a night which lent credence to the theory that England are yet to work out how to get the most out of him in this format. Stokes' overall record in T20Is says more about the infrequency of his appearances as his ability - this was only his 10th appearance since England's last series in India, in early 2017 - but England will be desperate to get him as much experience in his roles with both bat and ball as possible ahead of the World Cup later this year.

In particular, it was intriguing to see him coming in below Eoin Morgan at No. 6, with the two switching roles from the positions they had filled during England's series in South Africa at the end of 2020. "It was primarily based on trying to get me into the game while the seamers were on and not necessarily the spinners," Morgan explained. "It didn't actually work out that well - they continued to bowl spin and one over of seam. My record against seam coming into that stage of the innings is better than against spin, so that was the call that we made."

The result was that Stokes failed to time the ball during his scratchy innings of 24 off 21 balls, which included only a solitary boundary down the ground off Bhuvneshwar Kumar. According to ESPNcricinfo's ball-by-ball data, Stokes was out of control for nine of the 21 balls he faced as he struggled against India's seamers and their intelligent variations at the death. As a relatively slow starter who usually takes five balls to get set, it may be that Stokes would benefit from coming in ahead of Morgan in the future.

Given the weight that England have rightly placed on IPL experience in their T20 strategy over the last five years, it is surprising that they use him in a significantly different role to the one Rajasthan Royals found for him last season, when he was promoted to open and made a success of the job. It seems unlikely that there will be a re-think for either team, which means England will be desperate for Stokes to get as much exposure as they can in the final three games of this series.

"[His best role] is in the middle order," Morgan said. "We saw in South Africa how well he played. I don't think it's an easy role: I've done it my whole career and it treats you like crap the majority of the time. You need guys that really play the situation of the game and aren't that bothered about taking risks when the team needs it. Ben is a guy that has that attitude and definitely has the skill to do it."

Stokes' bowling is also a relevant consideration, not least given the balance that he has provided England with since the start of 2020. In that period, he has bowled 18 overs in eight matches, taking seven wickets at an economy rate of 8.72, and while those numbers are hardly eye-catching, they have offered Morgan a crucial sixth option in the middle overs when things have not gone to plan for one of his five main bowlers.

With Moeen Ali likely to come into the side in Tuesday's third T20I - which is due to be played on a red-soil pitch that England are expecting to be conducive to spin - Stokes will again be required to play a supporting role with the ball, and if India bring Axar Patel back into the side as a third spinner, he will be tasked with hitting with the spin to take him and Yuzrendra Chahal down in the middle overs.

England see Stokes as an automatic pick in their T20 side, and their problems replacing him in the home series against Pakistan and Australia last summer - when they were unsure whether to bring in an extra batsman or a bowling allrounder in his place - demonstrate why. But with a World Cup looming, lingering doubts remain as to whether he can transform his pedigree in Test and ODI cricket into the shortest format on a more regular basis.

Eoin Morgan said that he was pleased to have had the opportunity to play on a pitch that took England "out of our comfort zone" with both bat and ball in the second T20I in Ahmedabad, and that he expects another unfamiliar surface in the third game of the series on Tuesday.

England struggled with the ball in their attempts to defend 164 on a pitch that offered less for their fast bowlers that the one used in Friday's series opener. Morgan said that the surface was a "typical Indian wicket" that "exposed our weakness" and reiterated his comments before the series, when he had expressed a desire to play in different conditions ahead of the T20 World Cup later this year.

"It was quite slow, low, and didn't really turn a great deal - [a pitch] that does expose our weakness," Morgan said. "We don't play a lot on slow, low wickets and the more that we can do that, the better. Posting a total on a wicket like that, I thought we were right in the game… we established partnerships, we got to the point where we tried to accelerate, but managed to lose wickets at different stages.

"Taking an early wicket was brilliant but India managed to get away from us quite quickly. Ishan Kishan played pretty well and managed to take the game away from us, and everything that we tried didn't seem to work.

"I thought the other night, the pitch really suited us because it had more pace in it - similar to a wicket at home, a Cardiff wicket or somewhere like that, that was a little bit uneven and maybe stood up a little bit. But this took us out of our comfort zone and really was a typical Indian wicket that we would play on in an IPL game. Again, your accuracy has to be on, and you're bowling to guys really on their home patch when you talk about a wicket like this.

"To become better in these conditions, the only way you do that is by playing and making mistakes. You tend to learn quicker if you're winning and confident and everything goes reasonably smoothly - you can integrate the learning quite quickly - but equally, if we have to learn the hard way, we're still going through that process of trying to learn game-on-game so when it comes to the World Cup in seven months' time, we can be as best prepared or know more about ourselves and where we need to get better before then."

Morgan emphasised the importance of batsmen taking on the right match-ups on pitches that are harder to bat on, and stressed that he had no issues with any of his side getting out while taking an attacking option against a bowler-type that they are generally strong against - much as both Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow did in holing out to deep midwicket against the offspin of Washington Sundar.

"Particularly when it comes to batting, the biggest sixes guys hit are when it looks like they've put no effort into it, so maintaining your shape when you're hitting the ball [is important]," he said. "Attacking a bowler that you know you've got an advantage with, or you play that type of bowler really well - things like that, trying to improve positions that we get into, and when we do get into a position, taking advantage of it.

"Most players should know their game inside-out - where they struggle and where they're strong. It's when they're strong against whoever, it's taking that option and not hesitating in doing it. If you get out doing it, you're taking the right option."

The third T20I will be played on a red-soil pitch rather than a black-soil one, which is likely to bring spinners into the game much more than the surfaces for the first two matches of the series. As a result, England are likely to bring Moeen Ali into the side, with Tom Curran the most likely man to give way after an expensive showing on Sunday night.

"The next game is on the red soil that looks like Ayers Rock so it's probably going to turn," Morgan said. "These are the challenges that we want to play against. Regardless of how we do in the series we want to learn as much as we can and get that experience under our belt for the World Cup.

"Because we're playing on a different type of soil, on the red soil not the black soil, there's a chance that it might take more spin which probably lends itself to batting first if it doesn't hold as well together as the black soil, which traditionally it doesn't. It might lend itself to posting a total because the wicket might get worse.

"The two wickets we've played on have not turned. We looked at them and didn't expect them to turn, but potentially, the next game might offer a little bit for the spinners."

Mark Wood missed the second T20I with a bruised heel, but Morgan said the injury was "not a big worry". "He felt better again today but not fit enough to play," Morgan said. "Hopefully he'll be available for the game in two days' time, but if not, the fourth match."

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The New England Patriots have agreed to trade longtime right tackle Marcus Cannon to the Houston Texans in a deal that involves a swap of mid-to-late-round draft picks, sources told ESPN.

Cannon had opted out of the 2020 season, and sources said a catalyst for the trade was that he had not reported to the Patriots for a physical and workout -- because of COVID-19 considerations -- with the team's other players who opted out.

The 6-foot-6, 335-pound Cannon, a non-Hodgkins lymphoma survivor, is from Texas. He also played in college at Texas Christian.

The trade cannot be made official until the start of the league year, which begins Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET.

Houston currently has two starters at offensive tackle under contract: left tackle Laremy Tunsil and 2019 first-round pick Tytus Howard. If both remain on the roster before the start of the 2021 season, Howard could move back inside. During his rookie season, Howard played left guard and left tackle before being moved to right tackle.

Cannon has appeared in 115 career NFL regular-season games (69 starts) and also 19 playoff games (11 starts). He was part of three Super Bowl championship teams in New England, which had selected him in the fifth round of the 2011 draft.

The Patriots, who previously agreed to a trade for Las Vegas Raiders offensive tackle Trent Brown, will save about $6.3 million on the salary cap by trading Cannon.

The deal would be the first swap between Patriots coach Bill Belichick and his longtime director of player personnel Nick Caserio, who is in his first season as Houston's general manager.

The Boston Globe first reported the trade.

ESPN's Sarah Barshop contributed to this report.

After being thrust into the spotlight for the actions of an announcer, the Norman High School girls basketball team made news on its own terms by winning the Oklahoma 6A state championship.

The Tigers (19-0) capped their perfect season with a 48-37 win over Bixby on Saturday.

Norman gained national attention after the racist words of a broadcaster were heard ahead of the playing of the team's quarterfinal game Thursday.

The incident occurred as "The Star-Spangled Banner" began to play. The broadcasters told their listeners on the NFHS Network stream they would return after a break and then one, not realizing the audio was still live, used an expletive and an epithet as the Norman players kneeled.

"They're kneeling? F--- them," announcer Matt Rowan said. "I hope Norman gets their ass kicked. ... F---ing N-words."

On Friday, Rowan issued an apology.

"During the Norman High School girls basketball game against Midwest City, I made inappropriate and racist comments believing that the microphone was off; however, let me state immediately that is no excuse such comments should have never been uttered," Rowan said in a statement.

He added that a medical condition may have contributed to the outburst.

"I will state that I suffer Type 1 Diabetes, and during the game, my sugar was spiking," Rowan said. "While not excusing my remarks, it is not unusual when my sugar spikes that I become disoriented and often say things that are not appropriate, as well as hurtful. I do not believe that I would have made such horrible statements absent my sugar spiking."

The Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association and NFHS Network also each issued statements apologizing for the comments.

Kneeling during the anthem during U.S. sporting events has become a familiar way for athletes to express themselves, often protesting racial or social injustice. Norman High School superintendent Nick Migliorino said the school district supports the students' right to freely express themselves.

"We condemn and will not tolerate the disgusting words and attitudes of these announcers," Migliorino said Friday. "We will do everything in our power to support and uplift our team and everyone affected by this incident."

Norman again knelt during the anthem prior to Saturday's state title game, doing so while wearing shirts that read "THIS IS WHY WE KNEEL."

The Tigers have now won two straight state titles. Norman won in 2019; no championship was held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

DAVIE, Fla. -- The Dolphins and Texans have agreed to a swap of starting linebackers, with Miami sending Shaq Lawson to Houston and receiving Benardrick McKinney in return, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

The teams are also swapping late-round picks in the deal. Miami is sending out a 2021 sixth-round pick and receiving back a 2021 seventh-round pick, sources told ESPN.

The trade cannot be made official until the start of the league year, which begins Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET.

The Dolphins have long admired McKinney, who should slide in as a starting inside linebacker opposite Jerome Baker and fill a void vacated by the release of Kyle Van Noy and the pending free-agency departures of Kamu Grugier-Hill and Elandon Roberts. The Texans get an upgrade at edge rusher by acquiring Lawson, who had four sacks last season while playing outside linebacker and is a tough, reliable run defender.

The move comes after Houston signed linebacker Christian Kirksey to a one-year deal worth up to $4.5 million. McKinney, who signed a five-year, $50 million contract in 2018, didn't have any guaranteed money left on the final three years of his contract. He's due $7.2 million in 2021.

McKinney, a Pro Bowler in 2018, played in only four games in 2020 before undergoing shoulder surgery.

In 2020, Houston signed inside linebacker Zach Cunningham to a four-year, $58 million contract. Before the Texans traded McKinney, the pair were set to combine for more than 10.5% of the Texans' total cap in 2021.

Lawson signed a three-year, $30 million deal with Miami last March, and he's now the second significant multiyear free-agent signing the Dolphins have parted with after one season, joining Van Noy. Lawson, who is set to make $8.5 million in 2021, didn't quite provide the pass rush production the team was hoping for in his one year in Miami.

The Dolphins fill their hole at inside linebacker while creating a bigger hole at edge rusher, where only Emmanuel Ogbah and Andrew Van Ginkel remain as key contributors. This could signal Miami's expectation to be active at that position in free agency.

ESPN's Sarah Barshop contributed to this report.

Dozens of eligible members of the New Orleans Pelicans organization, including multiple players, received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine Saturday, the team announced.

The Pelicans received their vaccines through a partnership with a local hospital and in consultation with team doctors and officials.

On Tuesday, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards expanded eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine, allowing anyone 16 or older with a health condition that may result in a higher risk of disease to get the vaccine.

One of the 12 conditions is being overweight, which is defined as someone having a body mass index of over 25, a criterion that many NBA players hit despite being professional athletes. Anyone in the state with conditions like asthma, hypertension and Type 1 diabetes are also now eligible.

"The Pelicans support the state's vital efforts to encourage everyone to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, as large-scale vaccination of our community is the best way to keep everyone safe and to end the COVID-19 pandemic," the team said in a statement Sunday.

The Pelicans worked with Ochsner Medical Center to get eligible members of the organization their first shot -- if they chose to receive it.

"The three COVID vaccines we have are safe and effective and everyone who qualifies should get the shot as soon as they can," said Christina Edwards, deputy chief of staff for communications for Gov. Edwards, in a statement to ESPN. "People, like members of the Pelicans, can consult with their doctors about if they might qualify because of their health conditions."

Sources told ESPN that while the majority of players on the Pelicans who were eligible received the shot, not every player did. Pelicans reserve guard Sindarius Thornwell became the first player to publicly acknowledge his intent to get the vaccine with a tweet late Friday night.

I'm getting the vaccine shot tomorrow... ya boy kinda nervous ??

— sindarius thornwell (@Sin_City_803) March 13, 2021

Pelicans forward Nicolo Melli tweeted that he received his first shot Saturday and that he "can't wait" to get his second shot.

I got the first Covid vaccine shot yesterday. I feel lucky that I had this opportunity. Can't wait to get second shot in three weeks.
If you can, get it. #vaccine

— Nicolò Melli (@NikMelli) March 14, 2021

"League policy requires teams to follow their state's vaccination guidelines and programs and we are fully supportive of players and team staff being vaccinated when they are eligible," an NBA spokesperson said in a statement.

Around the league, some coaches have begun to probe performance staff and team doctors, asking them when a vaccine will become available. At least one team intends to put together vaccine programs for staff and players, but that could still be weeks away.

The Dallas Mavericks are awaiting approval from the NBA office before moving forward on plans for players and staff to get vaccinated, a source told ESPN's Tim MacMahon.

During his news conference before the All-Star Game on March 6, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said he knew of some coaches and team personnel who had already received the vaccine, but no players had gotten it to his knowledge. Silver said the league had no plans to mandate that players get vaccinated and that he didn't see every player getting vaccinated as a requirement for teams to open up their arenas to more fans.

"I think it's with a combination of vaccines, antibodies, herd immunity in communities, proper safety and cleanliness protocols, we'll be able to return to something that looks a lot closer to normal beginning next season, at least based on the information I have available to me today," Silver said.

Silver added that players who do receive the vaccine could avoid having to quarantine because of a close contact with someone who tested positive.

"In addition, right now as we operate under this so-called work quarantine protocol, where players are largely only going between their homes and the arenas, once they get vaccinated they'll be able to do more in their communities," Silver said. "That's something we've already begun talking to the Players Association about. So there will be some real advantages and benefits to getting vaccinated for the players. Again, they have to make personal decisions at the end of the day. I take that very seriously. I take concerns very seriously. But my sense is most will ultimately decide that it's in their interest to get vaccinated."

ESPN reporters Adrian Wojnarowski and Malika Andrews contributed to this report.

The 2021 NBA trade deadline is on March 25 and teams will have to decide whether they are buyers or sellers in the next few weeks.

Key names to watch include former All-Stars such as Andre Drummond, LaMarcus Aldridge and Kyle Lowry, as contending teams will look to add players to potentially get them over the hump come playoff time. Also, will teams like the Houston Rockets and Cleveland Cavaliers decide to punt on the playoffs and make their key contributors available in a deal?

League insiders are predicting a quiet market this year, in part due to the expanded postseason format that includes play-in games for the final two spots in each conference. However, we've already seen some movement, at least in the buyout market, as Blake Griffin agreed to give up more than $13 million to leave Detroit and join the Brooklyn Nets.

Get all of the news, intel and analysis from our experts here, including trade grades and potential destinations for the top players on the market.

TRADE DEADLINE RESOURCES: Intel on all 30 teams | Roster breakdowns | Restricted players | Draft assets

March 12 update

8:08 p.m. ET: The Oklahoma City Thunder are trading guard Hamidou Diallo to the Detroit Pistons for forward Svi Mykhailiuk and a 2027 second-round pick (via the Houston Rockets), sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. Diallo will be a restricted free agent this summer.

Trade Grades: Who wins the Diallo-Mykhailiuk deal?

3:49 p.m. ET: Houston Rockets guard Eric Gordon will miss four to six weeks with a strained groin, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. Gordon, 32, had been a target of several teams ahead of the March 25 trade deadline, but the injury largely assures that he will finish his fifth season in Houston.

March 11 update

11:55 p.m. ET: Houston Rockets coach Stephen Silas and P.J. Tucker mutually agreed upon the 11-year veteran not playing anymore until both parties can find an amicable solution. "He decided that he was just not really with it, and we decided that that's a good idea," said Silas on Thursday. "Let's move on." The Rockets have had several concurrent trade discussions with teams in recent weeks involving Tucker as talks are expected to result in a deal before the March 25 trade deadline.

March 10 updates

8:05 p.m. ET: Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry doesn't know where his future lies after this season or even after this year's trade deadline. But he is sure of one thing: Whenever his career comes to an end, he will be retiring in a Raptors uniform. Lowry's name has repeatedly surfaced in recent weeks as a potential trade target for teams.

7:55 p.m. ET: San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said that LaMarcus Aldridge will no longer be with the team. "We've mutually agreed for him to work on some opportunities elsewhere," said Popovich regarding the seven-time All-Star. Aldridge, who averaged 19.5 points and 8.0 rebounds in his six seasons with the Spurs, is in the last year of a three-year, $72.3 million contract extension.

The best LaMarcus Aldridge trade and buyout destinations

TAMPA, Fla. -- New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone is into his second full week on the bench after having a pacemaker inserted and said he's feeling "awesome."

Boone had the procedure done at St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa, Florida, on March 3 and was back on the job after missing just three games.

"Just a lot different, honestly," Boone said before Sunday's road game against the Toronto Blue Jays. "Energy. Even cardiovascular workout capabilities. Done some [Peloton] rides I haven't done in a few months that I didn't even realize, oh, this is what it's supposed to be like."

Boone's pacemaker is to keep his heart rate from dropping below 50-60 beats per minute or from rising too high.

"Still have some arm restrictions," Boone said. "So I can't like lift weights like I normally do, but that will be hopefully a few more weeks. But as far as just getting around, energy in the mornings and all day, so much better."

Boone, 48, had open-heart surgery on March 26, 2009, while he was a player with the Houston Astros, a procedure to correct a swelling of the aorta. The condition had been first discovered when he was in college.

He underwent yearly checkups since and said electrocardiograms this winter came back good, with no change, But when he was monitored for several weeks, he was found to have a heart rate as low as 30-39 beats per minute, well below the 60-100 considered normal for adults.

"I'm really, really thankful and grateful that we were able to identify it and it went kind of as they told me it would," Boone said. "I was very at peace and comfortable with getting it done. They told me you'll notice a big difference. Until you go through it and experience it, I guess you don't realize how much of a difference you notice."

Boone is entering his fourth season as Yankees manager.

In other news, Boone said infielder/outfielder Miguel Andujar (sore right hand and wrist) and catcher Robinson Chirinos (broken right wrist) will both see a hand specialist on Monday. Andujar first felt discomfort taking a swing in a winter league game. After calming down, the soreness returned last week. Chirinos was hit by a pitch on March 10.

Two-time Grand Slam champion Garbine Muguruza claimed a first WTA title in almost two years after winning the Dubai Championships.

Muguruza survived a set point against her from Krejcikova in the first set before going on to win.

"It means a lot. It's never easy to win titles," said Muguruza.

"I'm excited that it happened now after a few finals that didn't go my way. It was a nice relief.

"It was such a tight match. It could have gone either way. I had to work hard for it."

Meanwhile, Spain's Sara Sorribes Tormo beat Canada's Eugenie Bouchard in straight sets to win the Abierto Zapopan title in Mexico.

Tormo eased to a 6-2 7-5 victory as she claimed her first WTA title, while Bouchard has not won a title since 2014.

In France on the ATP Tour, Russia's Daniil Medvedev beat Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-4 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 to win the Open 13 Provence title.

Medvedev, who will overtake Rafael Nadal to move to number two in the men's rankings on Monday, hit 13 aces on the way to victory.

Herbert, who beat Kei Nishikori and Stefanos Tsitsipas on the way to the final, was aiming for his first ATP singles title in his fourth final and won the second-set tie-break to level the match.

However, he was broken when 5-4 down in the decider as Medvedev won his 10th ATP title.