Matt Henry, a New Zealand fast bowler will join up with his national side teammates in Dhaka as the replacement for Finn Allen for the upcoming five-match T20I series, starting on September 1.
Matt Henry comes in after Finn Allen tested positive for Covid-19 on arrival in Dhaka. Though a replacement has been named, Finn Allen will stay on with the New Zealand squad and be constantly monitored by the team doctor Pat McHugh.
Matt Henry Isn’t A Like For Like Replacement For Finn Allen But Expands Selection Options: Gary Stead
Matt Henry was initially only part of the squad that was to play three ODIs and five T20Is in Pakistan, starting September 17, but will now leave from New Zealand on August 30 to join the national side in Bangladesh as well.
“Matt’s clearly not a like-for-like replacement for Finn, but he expands our selection options and, in the current circumstances, is the best equipped to join the side at such short notice,” said head coach Gary Stead.
Matt Henry played a test against England recently in June and he hasn’t been a limited-overs specialist always. The right-arm fast bowler has played just the 6 T20 internationals so far for New Zealand picking up 7 wickets at an economy rate of 8.68. However, his good form in other formats might help him for the T20I series against Bangladesh. Matt Henry last made a T20I appearance four years ago in Napier, also against Bangladesh.
Gary Stead: New Zealand Opted Against Calling Up Any Of The Players In The UK
The decision to send Matt Henry on short notice also had to do with the fact that he has already been vaccinated twice for Covid-19, and has a managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ) bed allocated for his return. Gary Stead also said he didn’t consider players currently in the UK due to the seven-day isolation period they would face on arrival into Dhaka.
“And, in the current environment, we remain mindful of the need to carefully balance player workloads,” he said. “We’re not prepared to risk anyone’s well-being by asking them to commit to extremely long periods away from home.”
Gary Stead said Finn Allen had improved in recent days and there remained hope that he could be available for the later matches against Bangladesh. Matt Henry has played just six T20Is in his career with his last outing coming in 2017. The first match of the series against Bangladesh is on September 1.
Matt Henry has also picked 98 scalps in 55 ODIs and 37 scalps in 14 Tests. Finn Allen has played only 3 T20Is managing 88 runs.