Mitchell Santner, the captain of New Zealand, lamented the loss of pacer Matt Henry on Sunday, March 9, when his team lost to India by four wickets in the Champions Trophy 2025 final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Henry took 10 wickets at an average of 16.70 from four games, finishing the tournament as the highest wicket-taker. Prior to the game, he was supposed to play a significant part in the final, but he failed a fitness test.
In the semi-final match against South Africa, Matt Henry hurt his shoulder while making a catch, and he was unable to get better in time for the top match.
He came into this match as the top wicket-taker, and as we’ve seen, he’s a fantastic bowler. During the press conference after the game, Santner stated, “I guess we missed that today because he seems to be able to nip it on wickets that don’t look like they should nip.”
“I have sympathy for Matty. Despite being a huge team player, he appeared somewhat upset. Basically, we said, “Let’s do it for him.” For him and, I suppose, for us, it was rather difficult to get this far and then get hurt for the main event. “Unfortunately for us, he wasn’t quite ready for this game, despite his best efforts,” he continued.
Scheduling presented a significant obstacle for New Zealand throughout their Champions Trophy campaign. In the eight-team competition, they were the only team to play in all four of the venues. All five of India’s matches, meanwhile, were held at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Rachin’s immediate return following his head blow was excellent: Mitchell Santner.
The Player of the Tournament, Rachin Ravindra, also suffered a forehead injury during the Champions Trophy tri-series in Pakistan after trying to make a catch in the outfield. Lockie Ferguson was hurt while playing in the ILT20, and Kyle Jamieson was brought in at the last minute to replace him.
“I suppose that with the rapid turnaround of games like ours, nothing in these championships will ever happen exactly as planned. But what I find most satisfying is that different guys stepped up when given the chance. “I am so proud of the team,” the New Zealand captain went on.
“Due to injuries, several guys were coming and going. Rachin’s quick recovery from his head knock and subsequent sprint to the ground was impressive. “I thought Kyle Jamieson bowled really well in the games he played,” Santner said, “and he flew over and came right into the team.”
India
