T20 WC semifinal: Will NZ's Matt Henry feature against SA?
04 Mar 2026

New Zealand could miss star pacer Matt Henry's services in the impending ICC T20 World Cup Semi-Final 1 against South Africa at Kolkata's Eden Gardens.

Captain Mitchell Santner hinted at this during the pre-match press conference.

Santner informed that Henry flew back to New Zealand for the birth of his child and was expected to return to India on March 3.

Sensational form in the tournament
Player profile

Despite his uncertainty for the semi-final, Henry has been in splendid form throughout the ongoing T20 World Cup.

He led New Zealand to a massive victory over Sri Lanka in their Super 8s match, where he took two wickets for just three runs.

The star speedster also featured against England thereafter, recording figures of 1/19 in 2.3 overs.

Santner on Henry's availability
Captain's remarks

Santner said, "Matt is currently in the air, he's landing tonight, so I guess we'll see how he pulls up - it's obviously quite far away, New Zealand from here."

He added that Henry will have a little run around in the morning to see if he's ready to go for the semi-final.

"So yeah, hopefully he's good to go," Santner hoped.

Who will replace Henry?
Fact

Henry has been one of NZ's mainstay bowlers in white-ball cricket. He recently completed 50 wickets in the shortest format. In his absence, NZ can bring back either seam-bowling all-rounder James Neesham to add batting depth or Jacob Duffy to bolster the bowling department.