Matt Henry unlikely to feature in Boxing Day Test against Sri Lanka
View(s):New Zealand fast bowler Matt Henry’s wait to make a mark in red-ball cricket has been prolonged as he is expected to miss the Boxing Day Test against Sri Lanka. Henry will, in all likelihood, have to wait till the Bangladesh series in February and March next year to play his tenth Test.
The Kiwis have played four Tests in the last month, with three of them being in hot weather, on unhelpful pitches in the UAE. The pacers Trent Boult, Tim Southee and Neil Wagner have had to share a rather heavy workload, that was further compounded in the recently concluded Wellington Test due to the marathon Kusal Mendis-Angelo Mathews partnership.
Given the excessive workload for the bowlers, a rest for one of them would have been a good idea considering that Henry is available.
Coach Gary Stead though is confident his pace trio will be refreshed for the second Test.
“One of the things that has happened in the UAE is that two of the Test matches were over in four days, and in one of them we only bowled once as well,” Stead said.
“Where we thought the number of overs for the fast bowlers would have been really, really big, we’re certainly not at that stage. I take on board though, that both Tim and Trent both bowled 50 or a bit more overs than that in this Test. I guess we will monitor how they are over the next three or four days. I think we have enough time to be able to select who we think our very best team is, because they would have recovered.”
The bowlers would have had a substantial amount of rest ahead of the second Test given the six-day break and considering the final day of the first Test barely saw any play. Unless the tried and tested bowlers in the longer format pick up an unexpected injury, the wait for Henry, who over the years has become a key part of the Kiwis in limited-overs set up, will continue. Bodymatter