Where once ODI bilaterals could have been fairly mocked for their lack of relevance, they are played less and less, and this series has a bit of heat to it. Qualification for the 2027 ODI World Cup is on the line, and both these sides know what it’s like to be left out of a major international tournament (both were missing from the last Champions Trophy, and West Indies had also not played the 2023 World Cup).

On March 31, 2027, the eight highest-ranking teams – aside from hosts South Africa and Zimbabwe – will qualify automatically for the World Cup, and teams slightly lower will have to fight their way in through a qualifier. Currently Sri Lanka are ranked sixth in ODIs, while West Indies are ninth. Both teams could do with a rankings boost.

Sri Lanka are in slightly better shape coming into this series. They have, at the very least, played ODIs this year, losing 2-1 at home to England. West Indies have lost four of their last five ODIs, and have not played the format for six months. Both teams have more or less their regular ODI troops to pick from, however. Sri Lanka’s seam stocks are in especially good health at present.

The US says it has struck and “disabled an unladen oil tanker” that was sailing towards Iran, as part of Washington’s naval blockade on the Strait of Hormuz.

US Central Command (Centcom) said a US aircraft fired a Hellfire missile into the engine room of the Botswana-flagged M/T vessel, after its crew “ignored repeated warnings”.

Centcom also released a footage purportedly showing the moment the tanker was hit on Tuesday. Iran has not publicly commented on the issue.

The US military began enforcing its blockade of all vessels entering and exiting Iranian ports on 13 April.

In its statement, Centcom said US forces “enforced blockade measures against Botswana-flagged M/T Lexie as it transited international waters toward Kharg Island”.

It said the ship’s crew had failed “to comply with directions from US forces multiple times over a 24-hour period”.

Overall, six commercial vessels have been disabled and another 122 redirected since the blockade went into force, Centcom said.

The BBC has contacted Botswana’s government for comment.

[BBC]

Medium pacer Nuwan Thushara is among 46 men’s cricketers awarded national contracts by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), after he withdrew the legal case he had filed against the board in April.

Thushara’s inclusion indicates a re-setting of his relationship with the board. The bowler had objected to SLC making a fitness test a requirement for the board granting him a No-Objection Certificate to play franchise cricket overseas. But since the board members whom he had been at a loggerheads with were ousted en-masse by the Sri Lankan government, Thushara decided to withdraw his case.

He had then written to the new administrators at SLC, announcing his eligibility for national selection, which the new Transformation Committee has since accepted.

Also in the contracts list are Jaffna legspinner Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, ambidextrous spinner Tharindu Rathnayake, batters Kamil Mishara and Lasith Croosepulle,and allrounders Isitha Wijesundera, Wanuja Sahan and Dilum Sudeera, who have all been included for the first time. Batter Bhanuka Rajapaksa was not awarded a contract, though he had played domestic cricket in Sri Lanka earlier this year.

There are otherwise no major surprises in what is a substantial roll of cricketers. The list features players such as Dinesh Chandimal and Kasun Rajitha, who primarily play Tests, as well as limited-overs specialists like Binura Fernando.

The SLC release said the players had been graded into six different categories, but did not divulge which players were in which category. The period of the contract runs from April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027.

Men’s national contracted players

Kusal Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dinesh Chandimal, Wanindu Hasaranga, Pathum Nissanka, Charith Asalanka, Kamindu Mendis, Dushmantha Chameera, Asitha Fernando, Dasun Shanaka, Maheesh Theekshana, Janith Liyanage, Dunith Wellalage, Niroshan Dickwella, Jeffrey Vandersay, Prabath Jayasuriya, Vishwa Fernando, Matheesha Pathirana, Dilshan Madushanka, Pavan Rathnayake, Eshan Malinga, Milan Rathnayake, Lahiru Kumara, Kasun Rajitha, Avishka Fernando, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Ramesh Mendis, Kamil Mishara, Binura Fernando, Nuwan Thushara, Sonal Dinusha, Sahan Arachchige, Pramod Madushan, Lasith Croospulle, Lahiru Udara, Nuwanidu Fernando, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Isitha Wijesundara, Nishan Madushka, Akila Dananjaya, Chamika Karunaratne, Pasindu Sooriyabandara, Mohammed Shiraz, Wanuja Sahan, Dilum Sudeera, Tharindu Rathnayake

[Cricinfo]