New Zealand pacer Matt Henry has been ruled out of the rest of the T20I series against Pakistan due to injury, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) confirmed on Saturday.
Henry, who suffered a right-shoulder injury during the ICC Champions Trophy semi-final against South Africa, has also been managing a persistent issue with his left knee.
Although initially named in the squad for the T20I series, the experienced fast bowler will now focus on rehabilitation instead of participating in the remaining matches.
As a result, young pacer Zakary Foulkes, who was initially selected for the first three T20Is, has been retained for the final two matches as Henry’s replacement.
The 23-year-old has already shown glimpses of his potential, delivering an economical spell of 1 for 11 in three overs during the first T20I, though he went wicketless in the second match, conceding 32 runs.
In another change, Kyle Jamieson has been omitted from the squad for the remaining matches.
The towering pacer was named Player of the Match in the first T20I after a stellar 3 for 8 performance but struggled in the third game, conceding 54 runs without taking a wicket, a match that saw Pakistan secure their first win of the series.
To bolster their pace attack, Will O’Rourke, who was initially part of the squad for only the first three games, has now been added to the squad for the final two matches in place of Jamieson.
New Zealand currently leads the five-match series 2-1 against Pakistan. The fourth T20I is set to take place on Sunday in Mount Maunganui, followed by the final match on Wednesday in Wellington.
New Zealand squad for the remainder of the T20I series against Pakistan
Michael Bracewell (c), Finn Allen, Mitchell Hay (wk), Tim Robinson, Tim Seifert (wk), Mark Chapman, Zakary Foulkes, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Jacob Duffy, Will O’Rourke, Ben Sears, Ish Sodhi.
