New Delhi
Ravaged by a spate of injuries, New Zealand on Thursday included towering fast bowler Kyle Jamieson in their World Cup squad with a cloud of doubt hovering over pacer Matt Henry’s availability for a key clash against Pakistan. The 28-year-old six feet eight inches tall pacer will arrive in Bengaluru late on Thursday ahead of Saturday’s game against Pakistan. New Zealand have been left in a tricky situation towards the business end of the tournament with as many as five of their players, including two pacers, battling injuries. While regular skipper Kane Williamson (thumb), Lockie Ferguson (achilles) and Mark Chapman (calf) were already nursing injuries, Henry and James Neesham joined the list on Wednesday with the former hurting his hamstring. With Henry awaiting scan results on his right hamstring, New Zealand were forced to fly in Jamieson, who was previously with the squad as cover for Tim Southee. The severity of Matt’s injury, combined with a short turnaround to Pakistan, meant we couldn’t risk being a bowler down for Saturday, Head coach Gary Stead said in a statement. Matt’s been a world class performer for us in ODI cricket for the past two World Cup cycles so we’ve got our fingers crossed for the scan results later on Thursday. Stead said Jamieson was well-prepared to return to India.
