Matt Henry, the New Zealand pacer, is assured of his workforce’s potential to deal with strain and is able to face the problem in opposition to Afghanistan on the ongoing 2023 World Cup. After beginning their World Cup marketing campaign with three straight victories, the 2019 finalist will face the Afghan Atalan on Wednesday on the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
“It’s been a fantastic four years for most of us to get here to India, and it’s great to finally be here and play some good cricket. It’s been a great start for us, but we also recognise that this is a long tournament with a lot of work ahead of us,” Henry instructed Sportstar through the Black Caps’ non-obligatory coaching session on Monday.
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In some of the vital upsets in World Cup historical past, Afghanistan achieved its biggest-ever victory, defeating defending champion England by a margin of 69 runs on the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. Henry was fast to reward his subsequent opponent. “The cricket Afghanistan has played over the last few years has been very dominant. The way they played against England the other day was impressive. We know they have a lot of game-changers on their team. We will not take them lightly. It is something on which we will be doing our homework and plan accordingly,” Henry mentioned.
Afghanistan’s formidable spin trio, that includes Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, and Mujeeb Ur Rahman, mixed to take eight wickets in opposition to England. But New Zealand openers Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra, together with Daryl Mitchell, are expert at going through spin. The aggressive lower-order pair of Mark Chapman and Glenn Phillips units the stage for an thrilling battle.
“I think there’s something for the batters as well, and I’m sure that they would all have their batting plans. But Afghanistan has world-class bowlers, and the spin attack is their strength. They have been bowling well as a unit. For us, this game is making sure that we continue on the path of our game and looking to adapt as quickly as we can to whatever surface is presented to us,” Henry mentioned.
New Zealand’s potent tempo battery includes Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson, and Matt Henry. Remarkably, on the spin-friendly Chepauk pitch, they secured eight wickets of their latest match in opposition to Bangladesh. Henry, standing at 6 toes 2 inches, is famend for his exact yorkers and his efficient use of scramble seam. He pressured the importance of accuracy on Indian pitches.
“It’s a bit of natural variation (scramble seam). If you don’t know whether the ball is going to nip in or nip away, I believe it is going to be hard for the batters to figure it out too. The key thing is to be accurate in India. You need to bowl your right lines and lengths because any width gets hurt pretty quickly,” he mentioned.
Asked what the plan of motion is that if there’s not sufficient seam motion, Henry mentioned, “That’s why you have to use your lengths wisely, and I believe [bowling coach] Shane Jurgensen has done an excellent job with our bowling group by ensuring that we’re well-prepared and have options to try to exploit different areas of different batters. It is sometimes necessary to be more defensive in order to attack. Controlling the run rate and applying pressure are sometimes essential. It just depends on the surface and the scenario of the game, and I believe the adaptation process is most important in our bowling group.”
The common captain, Kane Williamson, who had been absent from worldwide cricket for seven months as a result of a ligament harm, was compelled to retire damage in opposition to Bangladesh after scoring a resilient 78. He fractured his thumb after getting hit by a throw whereas finishing a run.
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“It’s pretty cruel. I am absolutely gutted for him. But there are encouraging signs that he is still here and may play a role later in the tournament. The work he’s done to, first and foremost, get here shows his class. He has been brilliant for us for a number of years. And then for something like this to happen, it is just pure bad luck. My heart goes out to him, but he’s a world-class performer, so he’ll be back soon and ready to go,” Henry expressed about Kane.
In the absence of Williamson, Tom Latham has confirmed himself as a robust chief.
“Tom has been brilliant,” Henry mentioned. “For a long time, he’s been an excellent captain for us. Being a wicketkeeper poses unique challenges. But I believe there is a little more trust in the bowling group. He is also involved in our bowling meetings, so he always has a general idea of what we’re trying to accomplish, and we bowlers make sure that we’re bouncing ideas off at the top of the mark.”
Source web site: sportstar.thehindu.com
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