Matt Henry set to return as New Zealand bid to square series with England

Basin Reserve [New Zealand], February 22 (ANI): Seamer Matt Henry is set to make his comeback in the red-ball format in the second and final Test of the ongoing series against England.

Henry missed the opening Test, which saw hosts New Zealand suffer a 267-run defeat at the hands of England, with an injury. In the absence of the injured Kyle Jamieson and ace left-arm quick Trent Boult deciding to sit out, Henry will shoulder the bowling burden and the onus will be on him to provide breaththroughs for the Kiwis with the new ball alongside skipper Tim Southee.

Expectations will be high on comeback man Henry as he is the leading wicket-taker in the Plunket Shield this season. In 3 matches in the domestic Shield, Henry has demonstrated explosive form, picking up a whopping 23 wickets.

The seamer will now set his sights on a similar haul in the second and final Test against the Three Lions, which will help the hosts square the series.

Opening up on his comeback Test at the Basin Reserve, which is expected to see a sell-out crowd, Henry was quoted as saying by ESPN Cricinfo, “Not ideal with the injury – torn knee and everything. So it has been a bit of rehab for the last few weeks. But it has been good; kind of ones of those ones where you look forward to playing some cricket. No better place to do it than the Basin.

Always sell-supported here in Wellington. The Basin always has a great crowd and to hear it sold out for the first three days is amazing, and playing against England… the style of cricket they’ve been playing is an exciting one to watch as well. It has been cool to watch them play in that first game, and I’m sure everyone has learnt a lot from that first game as well and look forward to taking it to them come Friday.”

While Henry has made his mark in all formats of the game, its his skill-sets in the red-ball format, especially his ability to strike with the new ball, that will be in focus as the hosts bid to square the series.

Henry’s record in the longest format makes for good reading, as he has picked up 55 wickets in 18 matches at an economy of 3.20.

Henry made his debut at Lords against England in 2015, picking up 6 wickets across both innings in a lost cause.