‘If it wasn’t for the rain’: Matt Henry feels NZ could have pushed India in ODIs

Matt Henry

NEW DELHI: New Zealand fast bowler Matt Henry believes his side could have made the ODI series against India much closer had rain not disrupted both opening matches, insisting the hosts had put up a strong fight despite trailing 0-2.India won the first two ODIs through the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method, with rain affecting the outcome on both occasions. The third ODI was completely washed out without a ball being bowled, leaving New Zealand with two more opportunities to salvage pride in the series.Henry, who is yet to feature in the contest, felt New Zealand had done well to challenge India while defending modest totals in difficult conditions.“I think the way that we were defending a low total on a tricky wicket, we did really well, and if it wasn’t for the rain, it was going to be a really close finish,” Henry said ahead of Friday’s fourth ODI.“So really proud of how the guys have been going and we look forward to coming here in the Mount, which we present different challenges again. So we look forward to that and we’ve got two important games to come,” he added.

Henry set for return after concussion scare

Henry is expected to return for the fourth ODI after missing the previous match due to a concussion sustained in a training-ground collision with teammate Devon Conway.The 34-year-old said he was making good progress but admitted the injury setbacks had been frustrating, particularly with a busy home summer ahead.“Yeah, I’ve been a little bit unlucky. So thankfully, progressing well with the head,” he said.“It’s been a bit frustrating, obviously pushing things back. But the main thing is we’ve still got plenty of cricket to play. And no, it’s just been a really exciting summer,” he added.Recalling the collision, Henry said both players had a blind spot while going through a fielding drill.“Yeah, no, it wasn’t ideal. We’re just doing some fielding and unfortunately just both have a bit of a blind spot, so managed to have a big head clash with Dev, which was not great. So haven’t seen Dev yet. He’s obviously been at home, so looking forward to catching up with him and make sure he’s all right as well,” he said.Henry also played down concerns over a minor quadriceps issue, saying he had been cautious with the workload ahead.“Yeah, no, not too concerned. That was nothing too major. It’s just we’ve got a lot of cricket coming up. So being just smart about that. So that was fine after a couple of days,” he said.

Ten Tests ahead, workload management key

Henry has been named in New Zealand’s 14-member squad for the two-Test series against India, beginning in Wellington on November 19. Conway, Rachin Ravindra and Tom Blundell are also part of the squad as they recover from their respective injuries.New Zealand are scheduled to play 10 Tests between now and March, and Henry acknowledged that managing the fast bowlers’ workload would be important.“At this stage, we’ll get into camp. And we’ll look to play every game we can. But we’ll probably play it as we see it. We’ve obviously got a lot of bowlers.

“We’ve got a big squad as well. And we know we’ve got a lot of cricket too. So managing the workload is always going to be a challenge. With so much cricket to be played. But it is a moving thing. And just communication throughout will be key,” he said.The upcoming Test series is significant in the World Test Championship, but Henry said New Zealand would focus on their own performances.“So for us it’s actually focusing on the games we’ve got, which just starts with India. And we’ll look to play our cricket like we have. And playing at home is really important for us as well. So we know it’s a big series, but it’s something that we’ve, yeah, we love playing here at home. So we’ll be looking forward to it,” he concluded.