Even though the Kiwis have not qualified for the T20 World Cup semis as yet, but the management seems pretty confident. They have granted pacer Matt Henry a paternity leave, in the middle of the tournament, for the birth of his second child, after the Super 8 contest vs England on Friday.
Matt Henry to leave for home
“Firstly, we’re all very excited for Matt and Holly on the arrival of their second child,” New Zealand coach Rob Walter said in a statement. “It’s a very significant moment for their family and we’re wishing them all the best.” Walter is hopeful that the side will make to the next round, which will pave way for Henry’s return.
“There’s a lot of water to go under the bridge but we’re hopeful that the stars align for the team and for Matt and that we’ll see him back competing in the final phases of the competition.” Meanwhile, NZ are quite well-placed in Group 2, despite a washout against Pakistan. A win will seal the deal for them.
In case of a loss, they would most likely go through as well. They have an NRR of +3.050, which is far superior than Pakistan’s -0.461. They would have to substantially improve upon their NRR, to remotely make a chance of progressing. As for Matt Henry, he has had a decent tournament, where he has picked up 6 wickets so far.
NZ full squad: Mitchell Santner (c), Finn Allen, Cole McConchie, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Kyle Jamieson, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi, Ben Sears (reserve).
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