New Zealand have suffered a major blow to their bowling department as star pacer Matt Henry has been ruled out of World Cup 2023. Henry suffered an injury to his right hamstring during New Zealand's clash against South Africa on Wednesday. The Kiwi star has a grade two lower tear, New Zealand Cricket confirmed.
Notably, the Blackcaps have replaced Henry with Kyle Jamieson in their squad. "Matt Henry has been ruled out of the Cricket World Cup 2023 with a torn right hamstring and has been replaced in the squad by Kyle Jamieson. An MRI scan confirmed he has a grade two lower tear which will require at least 2 to 4 weeks to recover from WC," New Zealand Cricket confirmed on X.
Head coach Gary Stead said he felt gutted for Henry missing out on the remainder of the tournament. "Matt’s been a crucial part of our One Day side for a long time and to see him ruled out as we reach the business end of this tournament is immensely disappointing. He’s consistently been ranked inside the ICC top 10 ODI bowlers for the past few years which is a testament to his class and skills. Moreover, Matt’s a great team man and we’re all going to miss his personality and experience," Stead said as quoted by NZC.
The Blackcaps are hit with injury issues to crucial players. Henry picked a hamstring and Jamieson was called in as his cover earlier. Lockie Ferguson, James Neesham, Mark Chapman and Kane Williamson are also troubled with injury issues. New Zealand face Pakistan next on November 4 at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. The Blackcaps have lost three games in a row in the tournament and now face competition from Pakistan for a place in the semifinals. They had won the first three games of the tournament but now stand in 4th place in the points table.
