Lister gets ODI debut as Sears exits West Indies tour
Left-arm spinner Cole Lister called up after Ben Sears’ ankle injury forces premature return from West Indies ODI leg.
New Zealand have drafted left-arm spinner Cole Lister as an ODI replacement after seamer Ben Sears flew home from the West Indies with persistent ankle pain that flared since May’s Test against Ireland. Sears, New Zealand’s strike ODI bowler, exited the tour on Tuesday after scans confirmed the injury’s severity. He had already missed the first two ODIs in Guyana with the issue, and his departure leaves a gaping hole in the attack ahead of the next two fixtures in Trinidad and Tobago on Saturday and Monday.
64 this season for Canterbury. The selectors bypassed fellow spinners Matt Henry and Ish Sodhi, opting for the left-arm angle to counter West Indies’ power-hitters. 50 in 28 games underpins the gamble.
