On Friday, November 17, the New Zealand Cricket (NZC) named the veteran left-arm pacer Neil Wagner as the replacement for the injured Matt Henry in the Test squad for the Bangladesh series.
Matt Henry sustained a right hamstring injury during his stint in the ongoing edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. He missed New Zealand’s all-important semi-final clash against India and the Black Caps faced a defeat in that game.
Further scans of Matt Henry have revealed that he will not be fit in time for the Bangladesh Test series, as a result, a replacement player has been added to the squad.
Notably, the veteran pacer Neil Wagner, who has been a top-notch performer for New Zealand, recently made a comeback to the Plunket Shield for Northern Districts after overcoming a back injury.
His record speaks for itself – Sam Wells on Neil Wagner
Talking about the inclusion of Neil Wagner to the Black Caps squad, National Selector Sam Wells said that the return of the pacer is great for them as he brings a lot of experience with him.
“It’ll be great to have Neil’s skill and experience on the tour of Bangladesh,” he said.
“His record speaks for itself and we all know what a great competitor he is. He’s played plenty of cricket in the sub-continent and I know he’s really excited by the challenge ahead.”
Meanwhile, the Test matches between Bangladesh and New Zealand are set to be played from November 28 to December 2 and from December 6 to December 10. The Black Caps will depart for Bangladesh on Tuesday, November 21.
New Zealand Test Squad v Bangladesh:
Tim Southee (c), Tom Blundell (wk), Devon Conway, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Neil Wagner, Kane Williamson, Will Young
Bangladesh v New Zealand Test Series Schedule:
1st Test – 28 November – 2 December – Sylhet International Cricket Stadium, Sylhet
2nd Test – 6-10 December – Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka
