ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Matt Henry in tears as he fails fitness test ahead of final against India [Watch Video]

Matt Henry is the leading wicket-taker of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final between India and New Zealand is underway at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium (DICS), Dubai, on Sunday, March 9.

New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner won the toss and elected to bat on the slow pitch. The Kiwis have made one change, with Nathan Smith replacing injured Matt Henry for this important contest. India on the other hand have gone with the same playing XI as against Australia in the semi-final.

Henry’s exclusion came after he injured his shoulder while taking Heinrich Klaasen’s catch in the second semi-final match on March 5 in Lahore. The 33-year-old returned to bowl his second spell later in the game and even dismissed Kagiso Rabada.

However, Henry failed the fitness test before the final and was ruled out of the contest. He looked in tears as it would have been the first ICC Champions Trophy final of his career.

Watch: Matt Henry in tears as he fails fitness test ahead of ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final against India

Nathan Smith, who replaced Henry in the playing XI, has represented New Zealand in seven ODI games and has taken seven wickets. He has also scored three half-centuries in List A cricket.

Meanwhile, at the time of writing, New Zealand have made a strong start and are 45/0 after 5.3 overs. Rachin Ravindra has done the bulk of the scoring and is batting on 27, while Will Young is unbeaten on 11. Varun Chakaravarthy has also been brought into the attack.

Teams

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami and Varun Chakaravarthy.

New Zealand: Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (wk), Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (c), Nathan Smith, Kyle Jamieson and William O’Rourke.

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