Matt Henry ready to spearhead Black Caps' Champions Trophy campaign

By Kris Shannon

Matt Henry is six weeks away from his first chance to spearhead the Black Caps attack on the world stage.

Based on the seamer’s first warm-up run, it should be a bountiful hunt for wickets.

New Zealand opened the ODI series against Sri Lanka with a performance they would do well to replicate at the Champions Trophy, with Henry collecting his third-best figures to inspire a nine-wicket win at the Basin Reserve on Sunday.

Henry has already shone while leading the bowling unit at test level, emerging in the wake of the Southee-Boult-Wagner triumvirate to seize red-ball power. Now, he seems ready to consolidate his rule in ODIs.

“To have that continuity and play for New Zealand in all forms is something I’ve always wanted to do,” Henry said. “I’ve been involved in this group for 10 years now and it’s great to continue on.

“I love playing for New Zealand and it’s great to come out and put a performance in for the team.”

The 33-year-old claimed 4-19 from 10 overs as Sri Lanka were rolled for 178, shutting down the top order and making the first breakthrough before quashing any hopes of a tail-end revival.

A straightforward chase saw opener Will Young (90no off 86) remain in the runs, hitting his 13th half-century while putting on 93 with Rachin Ravindra (45 off 36).

There’s still two more matches in this series, along with games against Pakistan and South Africa ahead of the Champions Trophy, but Young can create another headache before Devon Conway and Kane Williamson return to the team.

Henry will have no such selection issues. Heading a four-strong seam attack in helpful but blustery conditions, the Cantabrian began with a maiden and was almost as parsimonious in his next nine.

Jacob Duffy (2-39), Nathan Smith (2-43) and Will O’Rourke (0-50) provided able support, with the extra pace of the wicketless youngster making his the only guaranteed spot on the plane to Pakistan.

The surface in Karachi – where the Black Caps start their tournament against the hosts on February 19 – will likely offer less assistance than a Basin Reserve pitch that had spent a couple of days under cover.

But Henry’s craft renders him capable of threatening in any conditions, snaring his final three wickets while bowling into a stiff Wellington southerly.

“The wind plays a huge role at the Basin and that’s the home advantage of understanding what it looks like to attack from both ends,” he said. “We were able to create pressure from both ends, force some errors and take some wickets.”

Henry did plenty of that during his last outing at a one-day world event. Sharing new-ball duties with Boult at the 2023 World Cup in India, Henry accrued the second-best average (28.6) behind Mitchell Santner before his tournament was cut short through injury.

Eleven wickets in seven matches still left him third on the team, trailing Santner (16) and Boult (14). It also followed a similarly impressive effort at the 2019 edition, alongside Boult and Lockie Ferguson.

When the Champions Trophy squad is announced next Sunday, Henry may be the only survivor from that trio, though Ferguson has a good chance to rejoin the team from the Big Bash League.

No matter who else takes the new ball in Pakistan, Santner will be content in relying on a bowler with New Zealand’s fifth-best ODI average, Henry’s mark of 25.8 making him and Ferguson (31.6) the only active players under 35.

That average received a boost at the Basin Reserve, striking first in the fifth over with one that seamed away to Pathum Nissanka. Duffy’s bounce and movement then made Kusal Mendis chop on, before Santner produced a brilliant run out of Kamindu Mendis.

After Smith nicked out skipper Charith Asalanka to reduce the tourists to 23-4 in the 10th over, Sri Lanka enjoyed their only decent stand through the middle overs, one eventually broken by Santner.

Henry then ended some free-swinging from the lower order with wickets in three consecutive overs, barely denied his first five-wicket haul since recording 5-40 against the same opposition on the same day in 2016.

The veteran will now hope history repeats with another destructive performance at a major tournament. This time, as the undisputed leader of the attack.

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission