New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner explains why pacer Matt Henry bowled only two overs in the 2nd T20I against India ahead of the upcoming Test series.
New Zealand white-ball skipper Mitchell Santner declined to take a risk with his spearhead Matt Henry as they lost by four wickets against India in the second T20I match at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on October 24. Despite Henry striking with a brutal opening over that took 11 runs in two overs, Santner took Henry out of the attack for the rest of the night.
“I wanted to bring Henry back but didn’t want to risk his fitness, as New Zealand have two Test matches against India coming up and need their bowlers fully fit.” Stated Mitchell Santner
🔴WE WANT OUR BOWLERS FULLY FIT FOR THE TEST SERIES – SANTNER🤯
Q🎙️: Why You didn’t give 3rd Over to Henry after a maiden first over & 2nd good Over?
Mitchell Santner🎙️: I wanted to bring Henry back but didn’t want to risk his fitness, as New Zealand have two Test matches against India coming up and need their bowlers fully fit.
— Sam (@cricsam02) October 24, 2026
Tilak Varma And Nitish Kumar Reddy Take Advantage Of The Weak Kiwi Attack
To make matters worse for the Kiwis losing two of their frontline seamers meant they couldn’t utilise their death bowler. Henry was removed early but Lockie Ferguson also departed from the attack as a precaution after leaking 37 runs from his three wicketless overs. This left Santner, who brought the hosts back into the game singlehandedly with 4 for 21 from four overs, taking out Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel and Naman Dhir, with a lack of pace options to defend their 180/5 total that came from half centuries from Glenn Phillips (70/43) and Bevon Jacobs (58/46).
This gave India the perfect opportunity to accelerate. Tilak Varma blasted an unbeaten 51 from 26 balls (6 fours and 1 six) and formed an important partnership with Nitish Kumar Reddy (26 not out), to chase down the 181-run target with one ball left to play. This gave Shreyas Iyer’s team a 2-0 lead in the five-match series after they chased down 226 in the opening match in Christchurch two nights ago.
Blackcaps Overhaul Pace Squad To Protect Red Ball Core
Following Santner’s warning New Zealand Cricket have taken immediate action to ensure Henry is rested for the crucial third T20I in Wellington on October 27. Head coach Rob Walter has taken Henry out of the remaining three T20Is to ensure he can recover for the five-match ODI series starting on November 4. Ferguson will also miss the Wellington game but will return for the last two T20Is. Kyle Jamieson has joined the team for Game 3 but Blair Tickner, Josh Clarkson and cover pace bowler Matt Fisher have been brought in to bowl white-ball.
As they are focusing heavily on red ball cricket after this white-ball leg, Tom Latham’s Blackcaps face Shubman Gill’s India in a two-match World Test Championship series starting on November 19 in Wellington and November 27 in Christchurch. After sweeping India 3-0 in their historic Test series in India in 2024, keeping Henry fresh for the Dukes ball on their green home pitches means more to the Kiwis than risking him tearing his calf in October.
