Mitchell Santner has provided an important update regarding Matt Henry’s injury in advance of the Champions Trophy final against India.
New Delhi: New Zealand is concerned about Matt Henry’s fitness as they prepare for the important Champions Trophy final against India, scheduled for March 9 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. The team’s preparations for the match are being affected by worries regarding Henry’s condition, following a shoulder injury he sustained during the semi-final against South Africa at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, which raises uncertainty about his participation in the final.
New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner offered an update regarding Matt Henry’s injury and his potential participation in the Champions Trophy final against India. He mentioned that the team management is carefully observing Henry’s condition, and a final decision about his availability will be made after their training session, allowing them to have the latest evaluation of his fitness.
“We’ll be going across the road and training after this. Matt’s going to have a bowl just to see how he is. I guess we’ll make a call after that,” Santner said in the pre-match press conference on March 8.
If Henry is unable to play in the final, it would be a significant setback for New Zealand, as he was the bowler who troubled India’s batting lineup during their league-stage encounter, where he took five wickets. Although New Zealand lost that match by 44 runs, Henry made a notable impact on the Indian batsmen.
In reference to the semi-final match against Australia, Mitchell Santner shared his observations about the varying conditions of the playing surface. He noted that the pitch displayed some differences compared to previous games in the tournament. Santner emphasized the necessity of adaptability, pointing out that teams need to be ready to modify their strategies and tactics in response to the changing conditions of the pitch.
“Even our pitch played slightly different to the semi-final wicket. So, I think it’s just whatever you end up doing, you just have to do it well for a period of time. I think the Aussies were probably on track to score a few more runs. But they keep trying to take wickets through the middle. And then India were able to squeeze them back to that kind of 260. And then I guess the master of a chase, Kohli, kind of helped that out,” he said.
