New Zealand’s injury woes showed no signs of abating as ace fast bowler Matt Henry picked up a hamstring injury which cut short his participation in the team’s 190-run defeat to South Africa in Pune. Henry pulled up midway after experiencing tightness in his right hamstring during his sixth over and following a brief on-field consultation with the team physio, trudged off the field and took no further part in the rest of the innings. He did, however, come out to bat at No.11 and faced nine balls. According to New Zealand Cricket, Henry will undergo an MRI scan in the next 24 hours to ascertain the extent of his injury.
Henry was the not the only casualty on the day in what has been an injury-riddled campaign for the 2019 finalists, who now face a nervous final week to seek qualification to the final-four of this edition. James Neesham, who completed Henry’s over and went on to bowl five more, suffered a bruised right wrist after being struck by the ball. Although an x-ray cleared him of any broken bones, the injury saw him slide down the batting order to No.9, from where he bagged an eight-ball duck.
New Zealand were effectively left with exactly 11 fit squad members during the course of their game in Pune. Mark Chapman (calf injury) and Kane Williamson (thumb injury) weren’t considered for the game and will be reassessed again in Bengaluru in the build-up to the crucial fixture against Pakistan on Saturday.
Lockie Ferguson, who was replaced by Tim Southee in the XI, also underwent scans on his right Achilles but it revealed no significant damage and it is hoped that he’ll be available for the Black Caps’ next game.
New Zealand will take on Pakistan in a day game at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on November 4. They’ll round off their league campaign with a clash against Sri Lanka the following Thursday (November 9) at the same venue.
