New Zealand fast bowler Matt Henry could make a comeback into the side for the 4th ODI against Team India at Mount Maunganui on Friday.
Published: November 11, 2026, 12:37 PM IST
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New Zealand pacer Matt Henry(Photo: IANS)
India vs New Zealand 2026: Pacer Matt Henry is highest-ranked New Zealand bowler currently in the ICC rankings for Test bowlers at the No3 position, behind only Australia’s Mitchell Starc and South Africa’s Marco JensenBut Henry has been unlucky with injuries in the build-up to the two-match Test series against India beginning in Wellington on November 19.
The 34-year-old fast bowler has claimed 152 wickets in 35 Tests at an average of 26.04 with 8 five-wicket hauls to his nameHe is now ready to leave his injury troubles behind ahead of the home Test series and the last two ODI matches against Team India.
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Henry had suffered a concussion following a training-ground collision with teammate Devon Conway, forcing him to miss the first ODI against IndiaHowever, the pacer has reported progressed well since then and is set to return for the fourth ODI in Mount Maunganui on Friday.
“Yeah, I’ve been a little bit unluckySo thankfully, progressing well with the head,” he said ahead of Friday’s fourth ODI against India.
Team India are currently leading the series 2-0 with the third ODI washed out without a ball getting bowled in Hamilton on Tuesday“It’s been a bit frustrating, obviously pushing things backBut the main thing is we’ve still got plenty of cricket to playAnd no, it’s just been a really exciting summer,” he added.
Henry, who will return for the fourth ODI, has been named in New Zealand’s 14-member squad for the Test series as well, along with Conway, Rachin Ravindra and Tom Blundell – all recovering from their respective injuries.
The pacer is not concerned about a minor quadriceps issue and has taken a cautious approach ahead of a packed international calendar“Yeah, no, not too concernedThat was nothing too majorIt’s just we’ve got a lot of cricket coming upSo being just smart about thatSo that was fine after a couple of days,” Henry said.
Collision with Devon Conway was not ideal: Matt Henry
Speaking about the collision with Conway during practice ahead of the 1st ODI, Henry said both players had a ‘blind spot’“Yeah, no, it wasn’t idealWe’re just doing some fielding and unfortunately just both have a bit of a blind spot, so managed to have a big head clash with Dev, which was not greatSo haven’t seen Dev yet.
“He’s obviously been at home, so looking forward to catching up with him and make sure he’s all right as well,” he said.
With New Zealand – former WTC champions – set to play 10 Tests between now and March, Henry acknowledged that managing workload of fast bowlers would not be a challenge, given the depth of the squad“At this stage, we’ll get into campAnd we’ll look to play every game we canBut we’ll probably play it as we see itWe’ve obviously got a lot of bowlers.
“We’ve got a big squad as wellAnd we know we’ve got a lot of cricket tooSo managing the workload is always going to be a challengeWith so much cricket to be playedBut it is a moving thingAnd just communication throughout will be key,” Henry said.
