Ben Sears has been ruled out of the upcoming series of five ODIs in the West Indies because of an ankle injury. Ben Lister has been called into the 16-man squad as Sears’ replacement and will assemble “over the coming days” with the squad in Guyana, where the first three games will be played.

Sears had experienced some ongoing pain in his ankle since the four-day Test against Ireland in May, and it flared up during the final day of the third Test against England at Trent Bridge, which New Zealand won to take the series 2-1. The decision to withdraw him from the ODIs in the Caribbean and send him home “for further treatment” is “precautionary”, as New Zealand Cricket put it.

Lister, who made his ODI debut in 2023, has featured four times in the format, picking up six wickets. He was in the squad the last time New Zealand played ODIs, away against Bangladesh in April.

Injuries to key fast bowlers have been a major concern for New Zealand in recent times.

Jacob Duffy, who missed the recent Test series in England while on paternity leave, has returned to the ODI squad for the West Indies, but Blair Tickner has had to sit this one out to undergo surgery on his ankle. Senior fast bowlers Will O’Rourke, Kyle Jamieson and Matt Henry have been rested for the series following their heavy workloads during the England Tests.

“Having a stable of fast bowlers is critical and you ask any selectors around the world from any country, you’re going to get the same answer,” Gavin Larsen, New Zealand’s head selector, said on Wednesday. “I’m touching wood here, [but] we are in a reasonably good position at the moment in New Zealand cricket where we’ve got a number of good quality fast bowlers. So the intention, certainly, is to carefully manage those bowlers.

“But look, already you can see off the back of three Test matches against England, you can see the attrition rate. I’m glancing down and seeing four names that are back on the physio table or under the knife, so I’m very conscious of that. The depth of those fast bowlers is crucial and us managing their workloads and their return-to-play processes is critical.”

Apart from Duffy, the squad now has in its fast-bowling attack Nathan Smith, Kristian Clarke, Matt Fisher and Lister, with frontline spin options in returning captain Mitchell Santner, Michael Bracewell and Jayden Lennox.

The first three ODIs will be played in Providence, Guyana, on July 11, 13 and 16, and the fourth and fifth games at Kensington Oval in Barbados on July 19 and 21.

New Zealand squad for ODI series in the West Indies

Mitchell Santner (capt), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Kristian Clarke, Jacob Duffy, Matthew Fisher, Dean Foxcroft, Mitchell Hay (wk), Nick Kelly, Tom Latham (wk), Jayden Lennox, Ben Lister, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Nathan Smith, Will Young

[Cricinfo]

Spain coasted past Austria and into the FIFA World Cup last 16 on Thursday, thoroughly outclassing their opponents in a 3-0 knockout win, with a brace from Mikel Oyarzabal and a Pedro Porro header.

The European champions controlled possession and sliced through the Austrian defence in a typically dominant performance in Los Angeles, as Hollywood stars Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem and singer Rosalia cheered on.

The win, which could have been by a greater margin – with a disallowed goal and a free kick off the woodwork – sets up a tantalising round-of-16 clash with either Portugal or Croatia.

“I’m happy to help the team and get through to the next round. Now we need to rest,” said Oyarzabal directly after full-time. “They were a physical side and difficult to play against, but we played a good match. We’re happy to qualify,” he added.

As to whether he would prefer Portugal or Croatia in Monday’s last-16 match-up, Oyarzabal remarked: “It doesn’t matter who we face in the next round; I have friends in both teams.”

Los Angeles Stadium was a sea of red and excitement over the first visit by a bona fide World Cup favourite to the US’s second city.

Spain ratcheted up the pressure gradually through the first half, creating a string of chances after the first hydration break.

Marc Cucurella thought he had scored from a Lamine Yamal corner, but Pau Cubarsi was judged to have encroached on Austria’s goalkeeper.

Alexander Schlager then made a superb diving save, pushing Oyarzabal’s low shot around the post.

Austria’s defence finally buckled in the 36th minute. Pedri pinged a ball wide, left to Cucurella, whose cross to Oyarzabal was calmly side-footed past the goalkeeper.

Spain’s dominance grew further, with Yamal tormenting the Austrians, mainly from the right flank.

An Alex Baena free kick hit the crossbar, and Yamal’s close-range follow-up shot was well saved.

Austria spurned a rare chance at the other end. Romano Schmid played in a late-arriving and unmarked Stefan Posch, but a terrible first touch meant he lost the ball before even attempting a shot.

After the break, Spain continued knocking on the door without quite putting the game to rest.

Austria sent on two giant strikers, Sasa Kalajdzic and Marko Arnautovic, and immediately went long, with Kalajdzic putting a header over the bar.

But in the 66th minute, Spain struck again. Baena lifted a cross onto the head of Pedro Porro, who nodded in his first goal for Spain.

Some dogged defending kept the scoreline respectable, including a goal-line clearance by David Alaba from Yamal, who was substituted off to rest moments later.

Spain sprayed passes around the pitch as the final minutes ticked down, eliciting “Oles” from the crowd, as attention turned to a sterner test on Monday in Dallas.

In the 89th minute, a pinpoint Cucurella cross found a completely unmarked Oyarzabal in the penalty area, who slotted the ball home to seal the victory in style.

[Aljazeera]

Hundreds of members of the Sri Lankan community from across the United States gathered at Tall Timbers Park in New Jersey recently for the 19th Annual Cricket Festival organized by the Ananda College Old Boys’ Association (East Coast), turning threatening skies into a vibrant celebration of cricket, friendship, and Sri Lankan heritage.

The centerpiece of the festival was a fiercely contested cricket tournament featuring old boys representing many of Sri Lanka’s leading schools now residing in the United States. Played in a spirit of healthy rivalry and outstanding sportsmanship, the matches showcased a high standard of cricket that kept spectators engaged throughout the day. Ten teams consisting of old boys from Ananda, Nalanda, Royal, S. Thomas’, St. Joseph’s, St. Peter’s, Maris Stella, Mahanama, Trinity and Thurstan represented the tournament. At the conclusion of the tournament, Royal College emerged as champions hoisting the 19th Henry Steel Olcott Trophy, with Maris Stella College finishing as worthy runners-up after an impressive campaign.

The festival was honored by the presence of the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the United States, Mahinda Samarasinghe, and Ambassador Jayantha Jayasuriya, PC, Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations. Their attendance underscored the importance of the festival in strengthening ties within the Sri Lankan-American community and preserving traditions shared by generations of Sri Lankans living abroad. A Consular Affairs tent sponsored by the USA–Sri Lanka Chamber of Commerce and staffed by officials from Sri Lanka’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations attracted many visitors seeking information on consular services.