Due to a shoulder injury, New Zealand fast bowler Matt Henry is doubtful for the Champions Trophy 2025 final against Rohit Sharma-led Indian cricket team. Henry landed awkwardly on his shoulder during the second semi-final match against Temba Bavuma's South Africa on March 5 at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. The 33-year-old Henry finished with statistics of 7-0-43-2 after taking the wickets of Ryan Rickelton and Kagiso Rabada. Henry was deemed 'uncomfortable' and sent for scans as revealed by New Zealand head coach Gary Stead.
Gary Stead on Matt Henry
"Matt obviously landed on his shoulder and it was pretty uncomfortable. I guess the positive thing from our perspective is that he got back out there to bowl. We've had some scans done on him, We're going to give him every chance to be playing in this match, so still a little bit unknown at this stage. He's obviously pretty sore just from landing on the point of his shoulder, but yeah, hopefully he will be okay," Stead stated in the press conference on Friday.
With 10 wickets from four games at an economy rate of 5.32, Henry is now the tournament's highest wicket-taker. Even though New Zealand lost by 44 runs, he was outstanding in the Group A match against India in Dubai, claiming five wickets for 42 runs. The Kiwis might have to choose between Nathan Smith and Jacob Duffy for the summit match if Henry is unable to play on Sunday.
After defeating Pakistan, led by Mohammad Rizwan, in the tournament's opening match, New Zealand launched their campaign. They then defeated Bangladesh by five wickets to guarantee their place in the semifinals. Despite losing to India in their most recent group match, they defeated South Africa by 50 runs in the semi-final to get back to their best.
The Indian team will now face New Zealand in the Final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, which will be played at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Both teams have faced each other twice in an ICC tournament Final, and the BlackCaps came out victorious on both occasions. In their previous clash, which was also the final group game of the mega tournament, the Men in Blue managed to get the better of New Zealand and pull off a big win. Later, India defeated Australia in the semi-final and the Kiwis beat South Africa.