New Zealand pacer Matt Henry has been ruled out of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 and Kyle Jamieson officially replaced him in the Black Caps squad.
Henry sustained a hamstring injury and joined New Zealand’s mounting list of injured players after his side faced a crushing 190-run loss against South Africa in Pune on Wednesday.
An MRI scan confirmed he had a “grade two lower tear which would require two to four weeks to recover from”, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) announced in a press release on Friday.
A team can add a replacement to their World Cup squad in case of an injury only after receiving the approval of the tournament’s Event Technical Committee. The committee gave its green signal to New Zealand to add Jamieson to its squad for the remainder of the 2023 World Cup.
New Zealand head coach Gary Stead said the entire team was thinking of Henry, who picked up 11 wickets in seven matches this tournament.
“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 said in a statement released by NZC.
“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.”
Jamieson was a cover for Tim Southee earlier in the tournament before being sent back home. Auckland-born cricketer Jamieson reached Bengaluru late on Thursday and is expected to train with the team on Friday ahead of the team’s upcoming match against Pakistan at Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Stead heaped praise on Jamieson.
“We’re fortunate to have a player of the class of Kyle waiting in the wings,” he said.
“His skills and physical attributes always make him a threat with the ball and it’s an added bonus he was able to train with us in the first two weeks of the tournament.”
“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.”
New Zealand’s growing list of injured players includes Lockie Ferguson, Mark Chapman and Kane Williamson, leaving the 2019 runners-up with only 11 fit players in their 15-man squad.
Fast bowler Ferguson continues to recover from his Achilles injury while Chapman and Williamson face calf and thumb injuries respectively.
Henry had sustained the injury while bowling his sixth over in the first innings against South Africa. James Neesham completed the over, the 27th of South Africa’s innings, and went on to finish his expensive spell of one for 69 in 5.3 overs.
The Black Caps’ medical team strapped Henry and had earlier hoped to have him back on the field. But it was later confirmed that he would not return to bowl.
The injured cricketer did come out to bat at No 11, with 133 for nine chasing 358. He faced nine balls but could not run as he was clearly in pain. Glenn Phillips managed to take New Zealand’s score to 167 before getting dismissed in the 36th over.
After winning their first four matches in World Cup 2023, New Zealand have suffered three defeats in a row and are currently in fourth place on the table with eight points.
