Ben Sears Misses England Test Series Due to Knee Injury
New Zealand’s fast bowler Ben Sears will not participate in the upcoming three-match Test series against England due to a knee injury. Coach Gary Stead is hopeful for Sears’ return later in the home summer. Sears, who had already missed the Test series in India, underwent minor knee surgery after experiencing discomfort during training in Sri Lanka. Stead mentioned, “Unlikely to be available for the England Test series,” but remains optimistic about Sears’ recovery by Christmas.
Sears made a remarkable Test debut in March, taking five wickets against Australia. His absence might provide an opportunity for Nathan Smith, a promising bowler from Wellington, to make his Test debut. Smith was the top wicket-taker in the 2023-24 Plunket Shield and recently played for Worcestershire.
New Zealand’s Historic Win in India
In the ongoing series in Pune, New Zealand achieved their first-ever Test series win in India, leading 2-0. In the current match, New Zealand batted first, with Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra scoring half-centuries. Despite a strong start, Washington Sundar’s bowling restricted New Zealand to 259.
India struggled in their innings, with Mitchell Santner and Glenn Phillips dismantling their batting lineup, leading to a score of 156. In their second innings, New Zealand extended their lead, setting a target of 359 for India. Despite a solid start, India was bowled out for 245, losing the Test by 113 runs. This marked India’s first home series loss in 12 years.
Doubts Revealed
Ben Sears -: Ben Sears is a cricket player from New Zealand. He is known for being a fast bowler, which means he throws the cricket ball very quickly towards the batsman.
Test series -: A Test series in cricket is a set of matches played between two countries. Each match can last up to five days, and the team that wins the most matches wins the series.
Knee injury -: A knee injury means that Ben Sears hurt his knee, which is a joint in the leg. This injury is preventing him from playing in the cricket matches.
Gary Stead -: Gary Stead is the coach of the New Zealand cricket team. A coach helps the players improve their skills and strategies for the game.
Nathan Smith -: Nathan Smith is another cricket player from New Zealand. He might get a chance to play in the Test series because Ben Sears is injured.
New Zealand’s first-ever Test series win in India -: This means that New Zealand’s cricket team won a series of Test matches in India for the first time. Winning in India is a big achievement because India is very good at cricket.
India’s first home series loss in 12 years -: This means that India lost a series of cricket matches played in their own country for the first time in 12 years. It is unusual because India usually wins when playing at home.