New Zealand batsman Will Young has made the tough decision to put shoulder surgery ahead of being a World Cup reserve and could be out of action for the rest of the year.

Young is currently uncapped at international level but was due to make his Test debut in place of the injured Kane Williamson in the final Test against Bangladesh in Christchurch before the match was called off due to the terror attack in the city.

He was handed a central contract last week to put him in the leading 20 players in the country and is currently part of the squad playing the Australians in Brisbane.

However, at a training camp in Lincoln last month he damaged his right shoulder and while he is able to battle through the pain to bat - he made an impressive 60 in the opening match against the Australians - he is restricted in the field. So he has taken the decision to sort out the problem now rather than risk further damage.

"My throwing shoulder isn't really where it needs to be, I've been in quite a lot of pain throwing," he told Radio Sport. I had an MRI scan the day before I flew out to Australia and the results weren't good - I've done some damage in there that requires surgery. I've had a chat to [coach Gary Stead] and the physios and the doctors and we've come to the conclusion that surgery will be required on my shoulder.

"So, after these games in Australia, I'm going to be returning home to get that surgery done as soon as possible and to start the lengthy rehab process - which is something I'm not looking forward to and is hugely gutting, just after it was announced that I was getting a contract."

The recovery period is six to nine months, meaning he will miss the chance of being part of the tour to Sri Lanka later in the year and probably the home series against England followed by the Test tour of Australia.

"There's a huge amount of 'ifs' going all the way to England as batting cover - you might get added to the squad if something bad happens to one of the top batsmen, but you're not even guaranteed there to get a game, so there were too many 'ifs' to play through the pain and go down that route.

"It means I'm not going over to play some club cricket in England, and perhaps be batting cover over there, but I need to be able to throw and hopefully I've got a few more years left in me yet. So I'll get that throwing shoulder sorted and then hit the ground running by next New Zealand summer. I think the right decision was made to get back home, and get it sorted out as soon as possible."

LIVERPOOL, England -- Luis Suarez accused Barcelona of defending like kids and apologised to supporters after the Spanish champions collapsed to a humiliating 4-0 defeat against Liverpool as they were eliminated from the Champions League on Tuesday.

Divock Origi and Georginio Wijnaldum both scored twice as Liverpool recovered from a three-goal defeat at Camp Nou last week to reach the Champions League final for a second season running thanks to a 4-3 aggregate win.

Substitute Wijnaldum scored twice in two minutes at the start of the second half before Origi added the winner in front of the Kop at Anfield when Barca switched off at a corner.

"It is inconceivable that we, Barcelona, concede two goals in just over a minute," Suarez told reporters. "We defended like kids for the fourth goal."

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It's the second time in two seasons that the Catalans have given up a three-goal advantage in the Champions League. Last season they lost 3-0 to Roma after winning the first leg 4-1.

Suarez, who on his return to Liverpool was jeered and told to 'f--- off' by supporters that used to idolise him, said the players must be prepared for the criticism which will come their way in the coming weeks.

"We have to be really self-critical about what happened," he added. "It's the second time this has happened. We can't commit the same mistakes two years running. There are a lot of things to evaluate and to think about.

"We have to apologise for our attitude and we must be conscious that the criticism is going to rain down on us now. We're really upset, we're hurting a lot. We're humans and we feel the pain."

Coach Ernesto Valverde, who was made to carry the buck for last season's loss to Roma, also apologised to Barca's supporters.

"We're really sorry to the fans," he said in his postgame news conference. "We play to make them proud of us. Everyone expects us to win all the time but we have lost -- and in a very painful way.

"This is the first game we have lost in the Champions League this season but we are out because of it. The players are the ones that play on the pitch and they are hurting more than anyone.

"The most painful thing is to repeat [what happened in Rome]. It happened last season and it has happened again. But when you lose 4-0 you can't have any excuses. They were better than us and we have to accept it."

Despite winning back-to-back league titles since taking charge in 2017 -- and with the possibility of a second domestic double still on the cards -- Valverde's future may come under the microscope once again following one of the worst losses in Barca's history.

"I don't know how this affects my future," the coach added. "We haven't had time to think about those things. But here we are and the coach has to take responsibility."

Valverde only signed a contract extension earlier this year but president Josep Maria Bartomeu wasn't prepared to back his manager after the harrowing defeat at Anfield. Instead, he called for the focus to be on the Copa del Rey final against Valencia on May 25.

"We're in the heat of the moment after the loss," he told reporters when asked about Valverde's long-term future on the Camp Nou bench. "Now we have to pick everyone up and get back on track because we still have a cup final to play.

"There are going to be some difficult days ahead, but we have to go again. There will be time to reflect on what went wrong and explain things. There's a cup final to play in three weeks. The same happened in Rome last year. It's tough to explain. We will do it internally."

DENVER -- A shaken Michael Malone pleaded for something to change after a school shooting that left one student dead took place at a Highlands Ranch public charter school in his suburban Denver community.

The Denver Nuggets coach was upset, with his eyes beginning to well up, while talking about the latest school shooting in America and how his two middle school-aged daughters -- who attend a different school -- experienced a lockdown for the second time in three weeks due to a shooting threat.

One student was killed and at least seven others injured in Tuesday's shooting at the STEM school in Highlands Ranch, according to the Douglas County Sheriff's office, who also said two suspects are in custody.

The Nuggets had a moment of silence before their Game 5 against the Portland Trail Blazers.

"The [STEM] school is literally two minutes away from where I live, right down Broadway in Highlands Ranch," Malone said. "My wife and daughters know people. As a coach, I am somewhat of a recluse but it's a close community.

"It's not just Highlands Ranch. It's not just Colorado. This is an epidemic. And it continues to happen. And that is the frustrating thing. How do you stop it? Again, gun control, laws, whatever it might be. I am not a politician. I don't want to sit up here on a soap box. I just want everybody back at Highlands Ranch to know that we're with you and that is very important for them to know."

Malone said he was at the Pepsi Center preparing for the game when his wife, Jocelyn, called to tell him about the shooting and that their daughters were safe but scared.

"The thing that makes you angry is that, she's telling me how scared my daughters are in their schools, texting her, because they don't know what's going on -- it's a lockout," Malone said of his conversation with his wife earlier on Tuesday. "Where's this shooter? Is it at our school? Some other school? The kids go to school, they should be going to school to learn, have fun, be with their friends. Not worry about an active shooter. ... It's just frustrating and it gets you angry because it hits home. And that's how I felt today."

Blazers center Enes Kanter shared his condolences with the Denver community on social media before Game 5.

So sad to hear about the shooting in Denver. Although we play against @nuggets tonight, we are hurting now. ?
My heart is with the kids and their families. The @trailblazers sending prayers to you and stand with the Denver community! ?

— Enes Kanter (@Enes_Kanter) May 7, 2019

Malone said he likely would not bring up the shooting with his team before the game. However, he was asked how he plans to address the situation with his daughters.

"That's a great question and, you know, that's something I haven't even really thought about," Malone said as his eyes began to get watery. "I'm texting my daughter, telling her she's going to be OK. I don't even know if she will be OK.

"This is every parent's worst nightmare and it's something that when you see your kids go to school in the morning, it's 'have a great day' and just assume everything is going to be all right. And as we all know, it's not. So, you figure it out."

This is the second time in recent weeks schools in the area have been closed or locked down due to a shooting threat. Three weeks ago, authorities shut down local schools as they searched for a Florida woman with an apparent "infatuation" with the Columbine shooting who had traveled to Colorado and had purchased a shotgun in the area. The woman was found dead on April 17 of an apparent suicide, according to authorities.

The STEM Highlands Ranch campus is not far from Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. On April 20, 1999, two gunmen murdered 12 fellow students and a teacher in a mass shooting at Columbine.

"I know thoughts and prayers are never enough," Malone said. "And from myself, our team, our organization, our thoughts and prayers are with all those families, students, school administrators, everybody that was there today. It's a tragedy.

"I would like to say a thank you to the Douglas County Sheriff's Department that was there, on top of it, in matter of minutes and all the first responders that were there and allowing that to not become worse than it was," Malone added. "But it's a shame. My girls have been in a lockout twice in the last month. I'm not a politician, I don't have the answers, but something must change. So I just want to make sure that I acknowledge what happened today in my backyard and all those families are on my mind."

DENVER -- The last-place San Francisco Giants have made a series of roster moves, including the promotion of outfielder Mac Williamson after he missed most of last season because of a concussion and its lingering effects.

Williamson and infielder Donovan Solano were selected from Triple-A Sacramento and lefty Williams Jerez was recalled from the minor league team before Tuesday night's game at Colorado.

Playing in left field and batting sixth, Williamson celebrated his return with a three-run home run in the fourth inning and an RBI single in the fifth.

The Giants' roster shake-up began after Monday's 12-4 loss at Cincinnati when the Giants optioned outfielder Mike Gerber and switch-pitcher Pat Venditte to Triple-A.

It continued when infielder Yangervis Solarte, who was hitting .205 in 28 games, was designated for assignment. Also, veteran outfielder Gerardo Parra became a free agent after deciding against going back to the minors -- he was batting .198 in 30 games after hitting .284 for Colorado last season.

Williamson's return to the Giants capped a long-running comeback story. He suffered a concussion when he tripped over a bullpen mound as he chased after a foul ball in April 2018 and persistent symptoms caused him to miss much of the rest of the season. He hit .213 in 28 games for San Francisco.

Williamson had a tough spring training and the Giants designated him for assignment as they broke camp. He accepted an assignment to Sacramento and began to gain notice with his hitting and defensive play. He was batting .378 with nine home runs, including three in a game Monday at Triple-A.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

LOS ANGELES -- Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Max Fried exited Tuesday's start against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the second inning after taking a line drive off his pitching hand.

X-rays came back negative and revealed that Fried suffered a contusion on his left hand.

Fried, born and raised in nearby Santa Monica, California, couldn't dodge an 86 mph line drive off the bat of Dodgers outfielder Alex Verdugo to begin the bottom of the second.

The left-hander threw two warm-up pitches, then gave way to reliever Josh Tomlin.

Fried entered the game with a 2.11 ERA in 38⅓ innings this season but allowed three runs in the first Tuesday night.

Roger Federer's first match on clay in almost three years ended with a rapid win over France's Richard Gasquet at the Madrid Open.

The Swiss, 37, took 53 minutes to win 6-2 6-3 against the world number 39.

Gasquet, playing his first tournament of the year following a groin injury, did not look fully fit.

Nevertheless, the 20-time Grand Slam champion was at his ruthless best, delighting a mesmerised Caja Magica with a majestic display.

"It's been a special night for me to come back and play here," fourth seed Federer said.

"I was very calm all day waiting for the match, sometimes nerves can come up when you're waiting all day but only felt them when I started talking about tactics.

"They went away and I played a great match."

Federer was making his return to the red dirt for the first time since losing to Austria's Dominic Thiem at the 2016 Rome Masters, having missed that year's French Open with a back injury and sitting out the past two clay-court swings to preserve his body.

The Swiss is a three-time champion in Madrid and received a huge ovation from the Caja Magica crowd, which included Brazilian footballing great Ronaldo, when he arrived on the court.

And the Madrid fans - many of whom perhaps thought they would not see Federer here again - noisily rose to their feet again after he wrapped up a straightforward win.

Tougher tests will come for the 2009 French Open champion, who goes on to meet France's Gael Monfils or Hungarian Marton Fucsovics, however.

Gasquet was playing his first tournament since October and instantly came under pressure in his opening service game, handing over the break with a framed backhand.

The Frenchman looked ponderous and awkward at times, but shook off some early nerves with an overhead to get on the board for 3-1.

Successive drop shots from the baseline gave Federer a set point after just 23 minutes - and left the crowd purring - as the Swiss broke again when Gasquet could not execute a drop shot of his own.

The second set was a much tighter contest, Gasquet holding serve until 4-3, when Federer pounced again to move within a hold of the match and then clinch a routine win.

ROSSBURG, Ohio – Eldora Speedway is the proud home of many unprecedented events on the racing calendar each year.

This weekend marks one of those as the USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car Series and the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series compete on the same night at the same venue for the only time during the season.

#LetsRaceTwo has quickly established its status as a can’t miss event, and May 10-11 brings that notion to reality for the fifth consecutive spring.

Brady Bacon and Chris Windom won the most recent #LetsRaceTwo events a year ago at Eldora.  For each, it was their second career victory at the half-mile, high-banked dirt oval.

Bacon was victorious back in 2014 while Windom picked up a win in 2013. For both Bacon and Windom last year, the Eldora scores marked their first victories of the season.

Thus far in 2019, both have already enjoyed the spoils of victory, with Windom notching the opener at Florida’s Bubba Raceway Park in February while Bacon triumphed in the series’ most recent event in April at Bloomington (Ind.) Speedway.

Bacon and Windom are among five past #LetsRaceTwo USAC winners expected for this weekend’s lineup.  Californians Justin Grant and Robert Ballou are the winningest drivers in the race’s history with two apiece.

If you’re into statistical oddities, in odd numbered years of the event in 2015 and 2017, Grant and Ballou have swept the event.

Grant has won on three occasions at Eldora, in 2015, 2016 and 2017, while Ballou has won five times, equaling Darland for the most among active drivers.

Ballou won his first three career USAC features at Eldora, twice in 2007 and again in 2010, before reeling off a pair in 2015 and 2017. Grant captured his latest victory in the second race of the season in Ocala. Ballou finished a season-best fifth in the Ocala opener.

Chad Boespflug was dominant in his #LetsRaceTwo win during a breakout 2016 season.  The 2016 USAC Most Improved Driver has had a resurgence in the early season, finishing fourth with USAC in Ocala and also winning the Kokomo sprint car portion of the Kokomo Grand Prix in April.

Of all the expected entrants for this weekend, no driver has more Eldora USAC victories than Indiana’s Dave Darland. The 1999 series champ has won in USAC Sprint Car competition at Eldora in 1998, 1999, 2000, 2012 and 2014, not to mention his five USAC midget wins and four USAC Silver Crown victories there.

Tyler Courtney is the most recent USAC sprint car winner at Eldora, taking last fall’s 4-Crown Nationals. He’s won in all three USAC National divisions over the last couple of seasons at Eldora, winning in a Silver Crown car there in 2017 and in a midget in 2018.

The defending series champ has yet to reach victory lane with the USAC sprint cars thus far in 2019, but has finished third, third and fourth in his last three outings.

C.J. Leary came oh-so-close to winning the first ever #LetsRaceTwo event in 2015, leading until the final lap when Grant got by to snare the win. The Greenfield, Ind., driver has more than redeemed himself over the years at Eldora, winning his first there in a USAC sprint Car in the fall of 2017, then adding a victory in the Silver Crown division last September.

Leary has already won once this season, picking up the finale in Ocala back in February.

Pleasant Hill, Ohio’s Matt Westfall was the Eldora hero in 2006 when he won his first and, so far only, AMSOIL USAC National Sprint Car Series feature. The versatile driver has made three starts with the series in 2019.

There’s a handful of drivers near the top of the standings who’ve yet to drive to Eldora Speedway victory lane in a USAC sprint car, namely series point leader Kevin Thomas Jr.  Impressively, he hasn’t finished outside the top-five in four starts this year, including three runner-up finishes.

Third in points is Chase Stockon who has two fourths and two eighths in four outings this season. Jason McDougal has only one career USAC sprint start at Eldora, which came last fall.

Of note, McDougal has shown he can get around Eldora, with his Silver Crown debut that same night resulting in a fourth-place finish.

Among a few of the other top guns expected to compete include Ocala fast timers Carson Short and Timmy Buckwalter; as well as Isaac Chapple, who grabbed a career-best third-place finish last fall at Eldora; and Dallas Hewitt, who nearly pulled off his first career USAC sprint win during #LetsRaceTwo in 2017 by finishing second behind Grant.

In addition to #LetsRaceTwo festivities, Friday’s portion of the event marks the 35th running of the Don Branson/Jud Larson Classic.

Dave Peperak won the first in 1981, but in recent years the event has been captured by the likes of Ballou (2007, 2010), Darland (2014), Grant (2015, 2017), the late Bryan Clauson (2016) and Bacon (2018).

It has all come down to Game 7 on Tuesday night for the St. Louis Blues and Dallas Stars in the Western Conference semifinals. We debate the key factors that will determine the outcome and make our picks.

Who or what will be the X factor for Game 7 of Stars-Blues, and who ya got?

Greg Wyshynski, senior NHL writer: I'm taking Dallas. I don't want to. I picked the Blues in this series and to emerge from the West, and my postseason prognostications have been so putrid that I really don't need any more red on my ledger. But Ben Bishop is the X factor:

• Bishop is on the road, where he has been great: a .931 save percentage in the regular season, and having given up two or fewer goals in four of six playoff road games.

• Bishop is playing after a loss; he's 3-1 in the postseason following a loss, with a .937 save percentage.

• Bishop is playing in a Game 7, where he's 2-0 with two shutouts.

And couldn't you see the ultimate story here being the collarbone incident in Game 6 followed by a Game 7 win? Plus, the Blues have been weirdly ordinary at home in the playoffs: 2-4, including two losses to Dallas in this series. So I would like to be wrong here, as the Blues are my pick. But it's hard to ignore what the Stars have going for them in Game 7.

Emily Kaplan, national NHL reporter: I'm picking the St. Louis Blues. The X factor that's going to make or break them? Special teams, an area where the Stars have had a clear edge so far. Dallas has been short-handed 20 times in this series for a total of 33:45 -- most of any second-round team -- and has killed off 90 percent of penalties. The Blues looked like they were making some power-play adjustments in Game 6. Despite going 0-for-5, I think they can break through in Game 7. Just as important is stopping the Stars' power play, which has gone 4-for-14 (28.6 percent, also best among second-round teams). Show proficiency in either one of those areas, and I see St. Louis prevailing.

Chris Peters, NHL draft and prospects writer: Seeing as I'm 0-for-the playoffs in predictions, I apologize to Blues fans for picking them in this Game 7. The X factor is Ryan O'Reilly, who has really not seemed to be himself in these playoffs. The big forward was a big reason the team made it to the postseason at all, given his career-high 77 points and solid all-around play since being traded to St. Louis last summer. In this series, O'Reilly has looked mostly fine for stretches, but one wonders if the adrenaline of a Game 7 could cure what ails him, if he is indeed playing through something. With the Blues able to play the matchups a bit more to their favor on home ice in Game 7, the stars are aligning to set up O'Reilly for a big breakout after posting five assists in the series so far.

Dimitri Filipovic, hockey analytics writer: I picked the Stars to win in seven before the series, so I have to stick with that at this point. It's a bit of a cop-out to say that the goaltending will be the deciding factor of a hockey game, but in this particular case it really is warranted because Ben Bishop's play has been the ultimate barometer for the Stars' chances of winning. In the three games they've won in this series, he has stopped 97 of the 102 shots he has faced (.951 save percentage). In the three games they've lost, he has stopped just 63 of the 74 shots the Blues have thrown at him (.851 save percentage). He has been nothing short of outstanding all season for them, fully earning his nomination as a Vezina Trophy finalist. Dallas will go as far as he'll take them, and assuming he's good to go following his injury scare in Game 6, the Stars will need at least one more gem from him in what will surely be a tense, tightly contested elimination game with little margin for error.

Ben Arledge, associate NHL editor: I originally took the Blues in seven, and they are coming off a big win facing elimination. And they are probably the better team on paper. And they are at home. There isn't a whole lot of reasoning for a change at this point, so let's ride with St. Louis. There are two big X factors here. First, Bishop's shoulder. He caught a Colton Parayko rocket off his collarbone in Game 6 and didn't finish the contest. The mere fact that he left the game worries me a bit, as it seems to suggest something more serious than a stinger, but it's equally likely the club was just playing it safe given the three-goal deficit. And while Anton Khudobin has been terrific this season in his own right, the Stars need Bishop at 100 percent to win, for the reasons outlined by Dimitri above. Second, I'd keep an eye on Mats Zuccarello. Despite skating somewhere between two to four minutes less per game than the other offensive catalysts on the Dallas side, the diminutive Norwegian has seven assists in the series. If Dallas is going to win this, he's going play a part, even if it's behind the scenes. He has plenty of playoff experience from his days with the New York Rangers, and knows what it takes to win a Game 7.