New Zealand fast bowler Matt Henry is ready to put his recent injury troubles behind him, with the 34-year-old cleared to return for the fourth ODI against India at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui on Friday after recovering from a concussion.
Henry suffered the concussion in a training-ground collision with team-mate Devon Conway during the ODI series, forcing him to miss the third match in Hamilton, which was eventually washed out without a ball bowled. He has also been managing a minor quadriceps issue, but reported good progress on both fronts in Mount Maunganui on Wednesday. “Yeah, I’ve been a little bit unlucky. So thankfully, progressing well with the head,” he said. “It’s been a bit frustrating, obviously pushing things back. But the main thing is we’ve still got plenty of cricket to play.”
Henry, who has been retained for the fourth ODI along with Kyle Jamieson after both had been due to leave for the Test camp, is yet to play a game in the series, with New Zealand trailing 0-2 after India won the first two matches on the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method. He believes the hosts could have made the series much closer had rain not intervened. “If it wasn’t for the rain, it was going to be a really close finish,” he said.
The pacer has also been named in New Zealand’s 14-man squad for the two-Test series against India beginning at Wellington on November 19, alongside Conway, Rachin Ravindra and Tom Blundell, who are all recovering from their respective injuries. Henry said he was looking forward to catching up with Conway, who has been at home recovering from his own concussion. “So haven’t seen Dev yet. He’s obviously been at home, so looking forward to catching up with him and make sure he’s all right as well,” he said.
With 10 Tests scheduled between now and March, Henry acknowledged that managing fast bowlers’ workloads will be crucial across a busy home summer, but he played down concerns over the quadriceps niggle, saying he had taken a cautious approach to his return and was not overly concerned about it.
New Zealand will hope Henry’s return stiffens an attack that has done well to challenge India while defending modest totals in difficult conditions. India lead the series 2-0 and need one win from the remaining two matches at Bay Oval, on November 13 and 15, to seal a first ODI series win in New Zealand in seven years.
Related:
- Rachin Ravindra, Devon Conway and Tom Blundell Named in New Zealand’s 14-Man Test Squad for India Series — https://t20star.com/rachin-ravindra-devon-conway-and-tom-blundell-named-in-new-zealands-14-man-test-squad-for-india-series/
- India Edge New Zealand by Four Runs on DLS After Rain Ends Wellington ODI — https://t20star.com/india-edge-new-zealand-by-four-runs-on-dls-after-rain-ends-wellington-odi/
