Henry out of remainder of T20Is as New Zealand manage workload of pacers
Lockie Ferguson will miss the third game in Wellington before linking up with the squad for the last two games
Following an agonising defeat in the second T20I to India in Christchurch, New Zealand have opted to rotate their fast-bowlers for the remainder of the series as part of a “planned workload management" strategy.
The most significant development involves Matt Henry, who will take no further part in the T20I series and will remain in Christchurch before joining the ODI squad in Auckland on November 2, two days before the first ODI. Henry bowled only two overs in Saturday’s contest and left the field with what captain Mitchell Santner revealed was a “tight calf”.
Lockie Ferguson, who also went off the field as a precaution, will not play the third T20I in Wellington. He will rejoin the squad for the last two games in Auckland and Hamilton.
Kyle Jamieson, who hasn’t featured yet in the series, will stay in Wellington following the third T20I and take part in a Ford Trophy game for Canterbury at Basin Reserve, meaning he will miss the last two games. He will return to the squad for the ODI leg.
Blair Tickner will join the squad for the last three games, while Josh Clarkson will link up for the final two games. Interestingly, both players were named as replacements in the initial 16-man squad for Zak Foulkes and Mark Chapman, who were ruled out with injuries. In addition to this, Matt Fisher will travel with the squad to Wellington as cover for the third T20I.
“We’re very fortunate with the depth in the squad to be able to call upon different players to help manage our pacers' workloads, and to try and ensure they’re best placed to perform for the team for all the cricket coming up,” head coach Rob Walter said.
New Zealand also have options within the squad in the form of Jacob Duffy, Nathan Smith and Adam Milne to tap into as they look to overturn a 2-0 deficit. The T20Is will be followed by a five-match ODI series, before a short turnaround ahead of the two-Test rubber against India. Following that is a tour of Australia where New Zealand are set to play four Tests.
