ECB absolves 'in no way responsible' Root of all blame in Warner-punch incident

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has said that batsman Joe Root was 'in no way responsible for, nor retaliated to, the attack' after reports emerged that he was punched in the face by Australian opener David Warner in a Birmingham bar in the early hours of Sunday.

According to the Guardian, Australia's disastrous buildup to the Ashes lurched even deeper into crisis when it emerged that Warner had attacked Root for allegedly clowning around, for which he was dropped from the crucial ICC Champions Trophy fixture against New Zealand, which, however, was abandoned due to rain.

Nipping the speculations of Root provoking Warner in the bud, the ECB stated that Warner had 'initiated an unprovoked physical attack on a member of the England team in a Birmingham bar', adding that the England player was 'in no way responsible for, nor retaliated to, the attack'.

The ECB further stated that Warner has admitted to behaving inappropriately and has since apologised to the player involved who has accepted the apology.

Confirming that no action would be taken against Root, England captain Alastair Cook said that he believed that his team has not done anything wrong as players as they are aware that their conduct as international players in the England team is of the utmost importance

According to Cook, Root has not sustained any physical injury and has trained well, adding that the player just wants to move forward from the incident and play his game.

According to the report, the incident occurred hours after England's victory over Australia at Edgbaston on Saturday, adding that the two warring players were pulled apart by Australian cricketer Clint McKay, following which the England players left the bar within minutes and Warner paid the bill.

It had emerged that Warner had claimed to have taken offence when he saw Root wearing a green-and-gold wig on his chin, thinking he was mocking Hashim Amla, the South Africa batsman, although England sources said that the Yorkshire teenager was merely joking about his own inability to grow a beard;

Root was cleared of any wrongdoing by England and will play in Thursday's Champions Trophy game against Sri Lanka at The Oval, the report added.