NZ quick Sears ruled out of Windies ODIs, Lister named replacement
Auckland, July 2
New Zealand fast bowler Ben Sears has been ruled out of the upcoming ODI series against the West Indies with an ankle injury, with Ben Lister being named as a replacement in the 16-man squad.
NZC said Sears had experienced some ongoing pain in his ankle since the four-day Test against Ireland in May, which flared up during the final day of the third Test against England at Trent Bridge, "so a precautionary decision has been made to send him home to New Zealand for further treatment."
Lister will assemble with the squad in Guyana over the coming days. The 30-year-old medium pacer, who made his ODI debut in 2023 against Pakistan in Karachi, has featured 17 times for New Zealand (4 ODIs and 13 T20Is), taking 17 wickets and was part of the team's last ODI series, against Bangladesh in April.
Injuries to key fast bowlers have been a major concern for New Zealand, as Blair Tickner will return home for scheduled surgery on his ankle and was unavailable for selection for Windies ODIs.
Duffy, who missed the recent Test series in England to welcome the birth of his first child, is set to return to international cricket for the first time since the ICC Men's T20 World Cup final in March.
Kyle Jamieson, Matt Henry, and Will O'Rourke will miss the series to rest after a heavy workload during the first half of 2026.
The five-game series gets underway in Guyana with the first three matches on July 11, 13 and 16, before the series moves to Bridgetown in Barbados for the final two fixtures on July 19 and 21.
New Zealand created history on their previous ODI tour to the West Indies in 2022, when they won their first-ever ODI series in the Caribbean.
New Zealand squad for ODI series against 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
— IANS
Reader Comments
So many key pacers missing – Jamieson, Henry, O'Rourke, Tickner... 🥲 Yet the squad still looks decent. Santner as captain is a solid choice. That 2022 series win in the Caribbean was historic! Can they repeat it?
Good to see Jacob Duffy returning after paternity leave. These pacers need careful management with so much cricket nowadays. NZ's bench strength is impressive – something for other boards to learn from.
Honestly, this is getting repetitive for NZ. 😒 Sears, Tickner, Jamieson – all injured. Maybe they need a better workload management plan? But kudos to them for giving Lister another opportunity. He's not flashy but gets the job done.
Interesting squad – no Williamson, no Conway, no Boult. NZ is clearly building depth for the next WTC cycle. Santner leading the side is shrewd. The West Indies series should be a good test for these younger blokes. 🇮🇳 would love to see such fearless rotation!
Tough break for Sears but ankle pain after a Test is never good. Lister is a solid replacement – remember his debut in Karachi? Underrated. NZ's scheduling is brutal though – Test in England then straight to Windies ODIs? No wonder they're broken.
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