Due to a rib injury, fast bowler Matt Henry of New Zealand will not play in the ODI portion of the current West Indies tour. His successor has been announced as Ben Sears. According to a Newzealand Cricket statement release, Henry first felt pain in his left side during training last week, and since his condition hadn’t improved, it was decided to replace him.
The first two Twenty20 Internationals between New Zealand and West Indies, which the visitors won to tie the series, did not include him in the starting lineup. The third and final match was set for Sunday which West Indies eventually won without any discomfort. After participating in three One Day Internationals (ODIs) against Ireland in July and claiming four wickets, Henry was dropped from the team and went on to play county cricket for Kent.
Gary Stead, the head coach, said that while the injury was “not overly significant,” New Zealand decided to replace him out of caution. He said, “It’s a shame for Matt to have to return home at this point of the tour,” Stead said. “Although the injury is not overly serious, we felt there was a significant risk it would become worse through playing.
“With the upcoming ODI series starting on Wednesday and consisting of three games over five days, we saw it as prudent to bring in a fully fit replacement.”
Sears has participated in six T20Is, however, he has not yet played in an ODI. Stead thinks “he is ready if called upon” during the ODIs. He is the most recent in a line of New Zealand quicks who can reach speeds north of 140kph.
For their white-ball tour of the West Indies, New Zealand selected a full-strength team, with up to six senior players—including captain Kane Williamson—returning after taking a break for the tour of Europe.
Sears is anticipated to land in Jamaica on Sunday and then travel to Barbados with the team on Monday. Beginning August 17 in Bridgetown, the three-match ODI series against the West Indies will be played.
New Zealand will leave for Australia on September 2 for three one-day internationals to be played from September 6 to 11. They will return home on August 21 after the third ODI.
NZ Squad for ODI Against West Indies:
Kane Williamson, Finn Allen, Trent Boult, Michael Bracewell, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Ben Sears (Replacement for Matt Henry), Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee.
