Matt Henry continues his dream run. After a successful T20I Tri-Nation series, the New Zealand fast bowler displayed his class in the Test cricket. Zimbabwe and New Zealand are now facing each other at Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo, for the first of the 2-match Test series.
Day 1 of the ongoing Test witnessed a pure madness from Matt Henry. He bowled 15.3 overs and took 6 wickets with a 2.52 economy rate and three maiden overs. As it was predicted before, the surface of Bulawayo had something to offer for the bowling-first side during the initial stage of the game. The red cherry got movement and an extra amount of bounce to surprise the batters. Henry utilized the surface brilliantly. He delivered length balls again and again and forced Zimbabwe batsmen to swing their blades. Rather than bowling well outside the off-stump, the pacer targeted slightly around the stumps. For obvious reasons, batters were double-minded about whether to play or leave.
Six batters fell on the traps created by the Kiwi pacer. Brian Bennett, Ben Curran, Nick Welch, Sikandar Raza, Newman Nyamhuri, and Blessing Muzarabani were tricked by the 33-year-old bowler. They all went to make contact with the bat and ball and got a huge edge. Forcing a batsman to play a critical ball is a sign of a quality bowler, and Matt Henry is the kind of bowler who knows how to do it with precision.
Read More: Zimbabwe vs New Zealand Test Series 2025: Full Schedule, Squads, & Streaming
Unstoppable against India, Australia, England
Henry was not among the fast bowlers who often find themselves under the spotlight; he has become an unsung hero for the New Zealand cricket team. In all three formats—Test, ODI, and T20I—the number of numbers generated by the seamer are enough to prove his dominance.
Last year, in 2024, when NZ was up against England, Henry made his presence felt with force. In 3 matches against England, he took 15 scalps. The fast bowler demolished the Indian batting structure in Bengaluru by claiming 8 wickets in 2024. During the New Zealand vs. Australia Test series in February-March in the same year, the scenario was the same. Henry bulldozed the Aussie batting lineup and bagged a total of 17 wickets (8 and 9) in two matches.
