Matt Henry

A slick fast bowler, Matt Henry's injury-hit career so far has been built as much on patience as it has pace

The Cricketer | 04/05/2019 at 13:31

Born: December 14, 1991

Role: Right-hand bat, right-arm medium-fast

The 27-year-old underwent significant back surgery in 2012 and his chances of representing his country, following excellent performances in first-class cricket with Canterbury in New Zealand, appeared slim.

Yet his chance did arrive two years later and how, when a niggle for Hamish Bennett saw Henry record 4-38, the third-best figures for a debutant, against India to cap the Kiwis' ODI series win.

Despite his painstaking breakthrough, Henry has still endured hardships during his ODI career, particularly in December 2016 in Australia where he returned overall figures of 2-165 from two ODI matches, and his 1-87 against Sri Lanka at the back end of last year.

But similarly when he has executed well, he has caused batsmen problems with the seam movement he generates, most notably his performances in Wellington against Pakistan in January 2018 (4-53) and India this year (4-35), while his 75 wickets in Division Two of the County Championship for Kent last season was the highest across both divisions.

Constant injuries have seen Henry, who has also represented Derbyshire, reduce his speed slightly, but he nonetheless still bowls a heavy ball and constitutes a useful addition to the Kiwi's arsenal.

Should he be called upon ahead of the underperforming Tim Southee during the round-robin event this summer, Williamson can take comfort from the fact that he represents a genuine wicket-taking option.

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