LONDON (AP) — Matt Henry had some making up to do.

The senior seamer of New Zealand's all-pace attack felt he let his team down against England in the first test at Lord's when back spasms on the first morning turned him into a virtual passenger.

He did rally to take a wicket but he wasn't his usual, hard-charging, naggingly effective self.

That changed at The Oval this week.

A 10-day break between the games allowed him to fully recover and on Sunday he was named the player of the match in New Zealand's series-leveling win by 253 runs.

A first innings 5-80 and a second innings 6-29 gave him 11-109, the best test figures ever by a New Zealander against England and the first 10-wicket match haul in his 35-test career.

Henry finished off England inside the first hour of the fifth and final day. He pinned Joe Root on 77, becoming the first bowler to take out Root and Harry Brook twice in the same match.

The Kiwi smashed Jofra Archer’s wickets with an unplayable shooter that Archer could only smile at, got Matthew Fisher to chop on for his 150th test wicket, and Josh Tongue to edge to first slip in two successive double-wicket maidens. Jordan Cox blocked the hat-trick ball but was out trying to sweep Henry and ended the match before noon.

Henry took 5-3 in 31 balls on Sunday and became the first bowler to take 10 wickets at The Oval since Shane Warne in the 2005 Ashes and the first pacer since Devon Malcolm in 1994 against South Africa.

“We hit the top of off on repeat,” New Zealand captain Tom Latham said. “Matt Henry is good at putting it on the mark. First innings and second, he built pressure through dot balls and getting crucial wickets. He's been a spearhead for us for a long period, nice for him to get the results.”

The 34-year-old Henry started his test career in 2015 in the shadow of Tim Southee and Trent Boult and truly emerged as they retired in the last three years.

He's taken 80 wickets in his last 14 tests, hitting form since the start of 2024. In that period, he's taken seven of his eight career test 5-fors and won home series against England and South Africa, an historic series in India, and sent this series to a decider in Nottingham starting Thursday.

New Zealand has won only three series in England, in 1986, 1999 and 2021, when Henry contributed six wickets to the decisive win at Edgbaston.

After stretching his back out for 42.1 overs at The Oval, he and his fellow pacers have only four days of rest. But he's at least making an impact, unlike at Lord's.

“It feels bad when you let the guys down on day one,” he said. “It was great to come here and get my quota out.”

Henry picked out wicketkeeper Tom Blundell for standing up to the stumps when he bowled to keep England in two minds in the crease. They pulled off an incredible heist catch against Archer.

“Having a world-class operator like Tom is huge,” Henry said. “He's always up for it. You can't do it unless you've got someone good behind the stumps. We know England like to create a flow of runs.”

Henry shared the praise around.

“It's pretty easy when you've got a strong bowling group. Kyle (Jamieson) and Will (O'Rourke) coming back from injuries, their character to come back the way they have. Nathan Smith going from strength to strength. You're only as good as the strength of the group.”

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AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

Luke Wafle has not been at USC very long, but he has already made a strong impression on his team. There is a ton of early excitement surrounding him in camp. For some freshmen, things just click immediately, and it looks like Wafle is on his way to being that guy for USC.

In a recent article, Christopher Sheppard took a look at what Penn State should be worried about for its game versus USC this fall. He highlighted freshman defensive end Luke Wafle on defense as the name to watch from Gary Patterson's unit. Here is what he had to say:

"A true freshman rarely receives this much hype before a season, but the hype surrounding edge talent Luke Wafle seems to be deserved. The consensus No. 1 overall player in his class according to Rivals, Wafle brings a strong blend of size and athleticism to California. In his time at the Hun School in Princeton, he racked up a school record 23 sacks in his senior season and was named to the National High School All-American team. Look out for this kid come fall."

Winning teams in the Big Ten and in college football have that pass rusher who strikes fear into their opponents. For some teams, even two of those guys. It is early, but very soon Wafle will be that pass rusher, and all of the Trojans opponents will be monitoring heading into the game.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Opponents are already preparing for dynamic USC freshman Luke Wafle

The FSU Seminoles have one player committed in their 2028 recruiting class, and they are working to expand their board. Their latest offer went out to Jevyn Severson, one of the top tight ends in the country.

The four-star prospect is from Madrid, Iowa, and it is his 43rd scholarship offer. Now that he has an offer, the Seminoles will need to get him to Tallahassee for a visit as they work to become involved in his recruitment.

Severson is ranked as the No. 78 overall player and No. 4 tight end in the 247Sports composite. The 6-foot-5, 230-pounder is also the No. 1 player from Iowa.

He played on both sides of the ball as a sophomore at Madrid High School, helping them reach the semifinals in the playoffs. He finished the year with 25 receptions for 417 yards and three touchdowns. On defense, he made 39.5 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, and 2.0 sacks as a defensive end.

FSU tight end coach Chris Thomsen has shown the ability to land quality tight end recruits from the Midwest, and Severson could be a player to watch in the 2028 cycle for FSU.

Blessed to have received my 43rd D1 offer from Florida State University!@ThomsenChris@SteveCaric@Liamdouglass99@MadridTigers@BrockHinkel@GregSmithRivals@adamgorney@TomLoy247@Andrew_Ivinspic.twitter.com/L3XMJmiYvG

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This article originally appeared on FSU Wire: FSU football offers Jevyn Severson scholarship

The 2026 World Cup is underway as 48 nations are split into 12 groups for the first time in the tournament’s long history.

Co-hosts Mexico, USA and Canada are the top seeds in Groups A, B and D respectively, while Scotland are in Group C with Brazil, Morocco and Haiti, and England are all the way down in Group L with Croatia, Ghana and Panama.

• Follow LIVE: Latest updates from Spain v Saudi Arabia at World Cup

The top two sides in each group will qualify for the World Cup’s first ever round of 32, as will the eighth best third-place teams. Just three points could be enough for some teams to reach the knockout stages.

There will be 104 matches, up by 40 since the Qatar World Cup in 2022, while Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo likely to play on this stage for the last time in their glittering careers.

Here are all the fixtures, results and latest group standings:

The World Cup began in Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium, the site of Diego Maradona’s most famous and infamous goals against England at the 1986 World Cup.

It was also the venue for two classic World Cup finals: Brazil’s win over Italy in 1970 which included Carlos Alberto’s iconic team goal to cap a 4-1 win; and Argentina’s 3-2 win over West Germany in 1986, where Jorge Burruchaga grabbed an 84th-minute winner.

Mexico and Canada will host 13 games in each, and the United States will host 78.

From the quarter-finals onwards, the US will host all of the remaining matches, with the final in New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium.

Football’s biggest question is back – and the debate is already heating up. England’s new golden generation, Argentina’s defending champions, France’s relentless depth and Spain’s evolving young side all have strong claims to glory at the World Cup.

Now it’s your turn: who do you think will lift the trophy?