Team New Zealand in action© AFP
New Zealand Cricket (NZC) confirmed that pacer Matt Henry will not take part in the ongoing T20I series against Pakistan as he continues his injury rehabilitation programme. Henry injured his right shoulder during the recent ICC Champions Trophy semi-final win against South Africa and has also been managing an ongoing left knee issue. Canterbury pace-bowler Zak Foulkes has been retained for the remaining two matches of the series in Henry’s place after the 22-year-old was called in for the first three games, the NZC said in a statement.
Will O’Rourke, who was originally listed for the opening three games, has instead joined the T20I squad for the final two matches in place of Kyle Jamieson.
New Zealand lead the series 2-1, with the remaining games at Bay Oval in Tauranga on Sunday and Sky Stadium in Wellington on Wednesday.
On Friday, Pakistan’s spectacular comeback in the third T20I kept their hopes alive. Pakistan set a new world record for the fastest chase of 200-plus target in T20I cricket, racing to New Zealand’s target of 205 in just 16 overs with nine wickets to spare. The previous record was held by South Africa, who chased down 206 in 17.4 overs.
Hasan Nawaz was the standout performer for Pakistan, blasting the fastest-ever T20I century by a Pakistani player. Nawaz’s remarkable first-ever ton came off just 44 balls, shattering Babar Azam’s previous record of a 49-ball century. Nawaz remained unbeaten on 105 from 45 balls, while captain Salman Agha also contributed with a solid 51 from 31 balls. Earlier, New Zealand’s Mark Chapman had top-scored for his team, making 94 runs, which proved insufficient to defend the total.
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