Matt Henry will play no part in the remaining three T20Is against India and will remain in Christchurch before joining the ODI squad in Auckland.
On Sunday, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) provided updates regarding the T20I team, revealing that the workload of certain pacers will be managed heading into the ODI and Test series.
Henry bowled just two overs in the second T20I on Saturday, where New Zealand went down to India in the final over of the game. After the match, skipper Mitchell Santner revealed that Henry had a “tight calf” and hence walked off the field, unable to bowl his full quota of overs.
The hosts have decided to rotate their fast bowlers for the remainder of the T20I series, where New Zealand are trailing 0-2 after losing the first two matches.
As a part of the “planned workload management”, Lockie Ferguson will not play the third T20I in Auckland and will join the squad before the final two games. Kyle Jamieson, who is yet to play a game in the five-match series, will stay in Wellington after the third T20I to play in the Ford Trophy game for Canterbury, and will hence miss the last two matches.
Jamieson will then join the New Zealand team ahead of the five-match ODI series against India. Blair Tickner will be the new addition to the T20I squad, and he will join the team for the remainder of the T20I series, while Josh Clarkson will join the squad for the fourth and fifth T20Is.
Matt Fisher will travel with the squad as a cover for the third T20I and will return to the New Zealand A squad at Lincoln University on October 28.
Demanding schedule
New Zealand coach Rob Walter said that rotating the pacers was the need of the hour, considering the amount of cricket coming up.
“It’s been a competitive start to the T20 series with two close games and plenty more cricket to come,” Walter said in an official release.
“We’re very fortunate with the depth in the squad to be able to call upon different players to help manage our pacers’ workloads, and to try and ensure they’re best placed to perform for the team for all the cricket coming up,” he added.
Speaking of the T20I series, India gained a 2-0 lead after winning the second match by four wickets. For the majority of the contest, India were behind the eight ball, but Tilak Varma and Nitish Kumar Reddy’s unbeaten knocks of 51* and 26* took the visitors over the line.
After the five T20Is, India and New Zealand will square off in five ODIs and two Tests.