ICC Champions Trophy 2025: New Zealand head coach Gary Stead provides update on Matt Henry's injury ahead of the final

Matt Henry experienced shoulder discomfort during New Zealand’s ICC Champions Trophy 2025 semi-final clash against South Africa.

New Zealand will be keeping a close eye on the fitness of star seamer Matt Henry before their clash against India in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final on March 9 in Dubai.

Henry injured his shoulder while taking the catch to dismiss Heinrich Klaasen in the second semi-final against South Africa. However, he returned to bowl later in the match and even dismissed Kagiso Rabada.

He has been the leading wicket-taker in the tournament so far, with 10 wickets in four games at an average of 16.70. He also took a five-wicket haul against eventual finalists India in New Zealand’s last group stage match in Dubai on March 2.

New Zealand head coach Gary Stead provides update on Matt Henry’s injury ahead of the final

Speaking to the media ahead of the final, New Zealand head coach Gary Stead emphasized that while Henry’s bowling in the later stage of the semi-final was a positive, his injury status remains uncertain.

Stead said, “I guess the positive thing from our perspective is he got back out there to bowl. We’ve had some scans and stuff done on him, and we’re going to give him every chance to be playing in this match. [But it’s] still a little bit unknown at this stage.“

Stead noted that the speedster landed on his shoulder while taking the catch and has been feeling sore.

He added, “He’s obviously pretty sore just from landing on the point of his shoulder. Hopefully he will be okay.“

In case of Henry’s absence, New Zealand can bring in right-arm seamer Jacob Duffy into their playing XI on Sunday. Duffy has not played any of New Zealand’s four matches in the tournament. His last appearance for the Kiwis came against Pakistan in the Pakistan ODI Tri-Series in February. Meanwhile, it will be a big blow for New Zealand if Henry gets ruled out of the final clash against India, given his performance against India over the years across formats.

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