World Cup 2023: Big blow for New Zealand as key player out of tournament

Matt Henry, New Zealand pace spearhead, was on Friday ruled out of the 2023 Cricket World Cup with a torn right hamstring. He will be replaced by Kyle Jamieson in the Balck Caps squad. The 31-year-old sustained the injury during New Zealand’s match against South Africa in Pune on Wednesday and an MRI scan confirmed that he had a grade two lower tear, which will require a minimum of two to four weeks of recovery time.

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“We’re gutted for him,” head coach Gary Stead said in Bengaluru. “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’s consistently been ranked inside the ICC top 10 ODI bowlers for the past few years which is 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 reached Bengaluru late on Thursday and was expected to train with the team on Friday.

The tall 28-year-old, who underwent back surgery in February, had trained for two full weeks with New Zealand earlier in the tournament after he was called in as cover for Tim Southee.

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Stead said Jamieson was ready to go for Saturday’s game against Pakistan.

“We’re fortunate to have a player of the class of Kyle waiting in the wings,” Stead 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, who slumped to three successive defeats, currently sit fourth on the World Cup standing with two round-robin games remaining, against Pakistan on Saturday and Sri Lanka in Thursday in Bengaluru.

With PTI inputs