Matt Henry, the top performer in the bowling department for New Zealand, hurt his shoulder while fielding in the Champions Trophy semi-final against South Africa in Lahore.
Now, there are doubts that he may not be available for the Champions Trophy Final to be played between India and New Zealand in Dubai.
At the moment, Henry is the highest wicket-taker in the Champions Trophy. He hurt his shoulder while trying to take a catch to dismiss Heinrich Klassen during the second inning of the semi-final. However, he returned to bowl two overs late in the same match. We could also see him diving into the field after coming back.
Mitchell Santner was optimistic about the availability of Henry right after the match. But the Head Coach of New Zealand has now said that the status of Henry’s fitness is “unknown”.
“I guess the positive thing from our perspective is he got back out there to bowl,” the head coach of New Zealand Gary Stead said. “We’ve had some scans and stuff done on him, and we’re going to give him every chance to be playing in this match.
“[But it’s] still a little bit unknown at this stage. He’s obviously pretty sore just from landing on the point of his shoulder,” Stead said. “Hopefully he will be okay.”
In the Champions Trophy 2025, Henry has taken 10 wickets at an average of 16.70. Five of his wickets came against India in the group-stage match in Dubai. Now, New Zealand is slated to play the same team in the final at the same venue.
It will be a big loss for them if Henry doesn’t play this game. If he is unfit and not available, then New Zealand might look at Jacob Duffy. He has not played a single game in this tournament but he did play against Pakistan in pre-tournament tri-series.