Credit: Twitter
New Zealand pacer Matt Henry suffered a hamstring injury during their previous ICC ODI World Cup 2023 clash against South Africa in Pune. The New Zealand Cricket has named 28-year-old pacer Kyle Jamieson as Henry's replacement, ahead of their upcoming clash against Pakistan on Saturday, November 4, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
The injury list for the Blackcaps before their last encounter was quite an issue for them, with Lockie Ferguson hurting his achilles against Australia, while the captain Kane Williamson and Mark Chapman are already unavailable due to thumb and calf injuries.
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While expressing his disappointment with Matt Henry's injury that ruled him out of the World Cup 2023, coach Gary Stead said, "We’re gutted for him. 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."
Henry's MRI scan confirmed the 31-year-old has a grade two lower tear which will require up to four weeks to recover. On the other hand, Jamieson, who underwent back surgery in February, arrived in Bengaluru late on Thursday and was likely to train with the team on Friday.
Gary Stead also talked about Jamieson's availability for Saturday’s game against Pakistan and said, "We’re fortunate to have a player of the class of Kyle waiting in the wings. His skills and physical attributes always make him a threat with the ball and it’s a bonus he was able to train with us in the first two weeks of the tournament."
He added, "Kyle’s had to work really hard to return from two separate back injuries and I know he’s really excited about being involved in his first ODI World Cup."
The Event Technical Committee of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, including Wasim Khan (ICC General Manager – Cricket, ETC Chair), Chris Tetley (ICC Head of Events), Hemang Amin (Acting CEO - BCCI), Gaurav Saxena (General Manager – Operations, BCCI), Russel Arnold and Simon Doull (Independent Representatives), has approved Kyle Jamieson as a replacement for Matt Henry in the New Zealand squad.