For the second game running in Kingston, persistent rain forced an ODI between West Indies and Sri Lanka to be abandoned without a ball being bowled. This one – the third and final ODI in this series at Sabina Park – meant Sri Lanka secured the trophy with a 1-0 margin, courtesy the 41-run victory they enjoyed in the series opener.

The umpires had several inspections, but after discussing with curators they decided that getting play started by the cut off of 8.02pm for a 20-over-shootout was almost impossible.

While the mood around both camps might be damp, both literally and metaphorically following two straight washouts, the outcome is still a landmark one for the visiting Lions. It is their first ODI-series victory in the Caribbean in 23 years – the last coming in 2003. A positive start for their newly appointed head coach Gary Kirsten and their new ODI captain Kusal Mendis, although they would’ve liked to have seen more in-game action from the players.

“Very happy to win the series, we did really well in that one game – in all three departments,” Mendis said. “There are not a lot of matches ahead of next year’s World Cup, happy with my first series victory as captain. Got support of the staff too.” He also praised the bowling unit.

For West Indies, the weather and the subsequent series result is undoubtedly a frustrating blow. Denied a chance to avenge their opening game defeat, it’s not only a first series loss at home in three years but, more critically, it’s a result that hinders their pursuit of vital ICC ranking points required for automatic, direct qualification for the 2027 ODI World Cup.

West Indies, for now, remain in tenth place in the ODI rankings, just outside of the top eight qualifying spots. They have ODI series campaigns against New Zealand (World No. 2) and India (No. 1) coming up next.

“You can’t control mother nature,” Shai Hope said. “Credit must be given to the Sri Lankan team for the way they played in the first game. [T20I series next] We need to look ahead, understand conditions. Adaptability will be key in Jamaica. We’ve got some experience, hope to bounce back there.”

Both sides will rapidly shift focus to the shortest format as a three-match T20I series is scheduled to kick off on Thursday, June 11, with subsequent matches on June 13 and June 14.

However, the teams will not be changing hotels just yet; all three T20Is are slated to take place at the exact same venue in Kingston. With rain expected to be a presence across Jamaica over the coming week, ground staff will have their work cut out for them to ensure the upcoming matches escape a similar watery fate. Those matches will all start at 7.30pm local time.

[Cricinfo]

The voyage of discovery for Australia’s depleted one-day squad now moves to Dhaka against a Bangladesh side who are confident on their own turf. The visitors had hoped for reinforcements by now but that hasn’t proved the case with captain Mitchell Marsh still sidelined and Travis Head granted leave from the whole tour. But they were not a million miles away from beating Pakistan in spin-heavy conditions.

It is the first men’s bilateral ODI series between these teams in 15 years.  One of the intriguing aspects of this leg of the tour is what conditions will confront Australia in only their second ODI series in the country. In times gone by it would have been billed as another trial by spin, but it may not play out that way this time. Pace bowling is now having a big say in Bangladesh. Across the six ODIs played this year – five of which have been in Mirpur, the venue for this series – pace bowlers have taken 69 wickets at 22.60 while spin has accounted for 26 at 35.50.

Iran’s military says it has halted strikes against Israel, but warned it would resume if Israel continues its military operation in Lebanon.

Israel has also stopped its strikes against Iran at Trump’s behest, according to an Israeli media report citing a senior Israeli official.

In a social media post, the US president urged both sides to stop “shooting” at each other immediately, saying “peace proceedings” would continue.

It comes after Israel and Iran exchanged a wave of missile attacks targeting key infrastructure. No casualties were reported on either side.

Yemen’s Houthi’s called for a “complete and total ban” of Israeli ships passing through the Red Sea

(Aljazeera)