Why is Matt Henry Not Playing Today in NZ vs WI 2nd Test?

International cricket is in the middle of a busy calendar for the WTC next cycle, with back-to-back bilateral series. Teams are quickly making their mark on the points table, with some early points shaping the 2025-27 cycle. With this, New Zealand and the West Indies have entered another test series, aiming to progress after a hard-fought draw in the opening match of the three-match tour. The first Test in Christchurch was a long battle, with both teams competing neck and neck, and the West Indies fought nearly two full days to deny New Zealand a win.

After this, the series has now shifted to Wellington for the Second Test, where the hosts have won the toss and chose to bowl, but one major talking point before the first ball was the absence of Matt Henry from the playing XI lineup. Fans immediately noticed that he was not part of the NZ vs WI 2nd Test Playing XI and wondered why Black Caps chose to keep their key bowler from such an important match. Questions from fans quickly centred the attention on Matt Henry not playing NZ vs WI 2nd Test and have raised concerns about New Zealand’s attack for the second match, where they will miss one of the best test bowler in the world for this game.

Matt Henry Not Playing in the NZ vs WI 2nd Test: Know the Reason

New Zealand confirmed before the second Test that Matt Henry is ruled out of the NZ vs WI 2nd Test and the entire series. Henry suffered a calf injury during the final session of day four in Christchurch, where he landed awkwardly in his follow-through. Scans detected a calf tear in his right leg, ruling him out of the tour and from the cricket scene for at least a month. Along with him, Nathan Smith also ruled himself out due to a strain, and Mitchell Santner earlier withdrew his name due to a groin issue, leaving the Black Caps with three unavailable players for the rest of the series.
To fill these gaps in the team, New Zealand has called in Michael Rae from Canterbury and Kristian Clarke from Northern Districts. Rae has replaced Matt Henry in the NZ vs WI 2nd Test and made his debut, contributing with some early wickets. Henry had been one of the top performers in the first Test before the injury, especially with the new ball, where he created pressure on the opponents. Clarke, another uncapped all-rounder, was added to the squad to balance the injury gaps in the bowling group.

NZ Playing XI

Tom Latham, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Hay, Glenn Phillips, Zak Foulkes, Blair Tickner, Jacob Duffy, Michael Rae.

New Zealand vs West Indies Test Series

The Test tour began with a dramatic first match where New Zealand held a 531-run target advantage, but West Indies survived with centuries from Justin Greaves and Shai Hope and ended the match in a draw. The NZ vs WI 2nd Test started with NZ winning the toss, where they chose to bowl. With injuries and main players ruled out of the NZ vs WI 2nd Test Playing XI, NZ will hope to maintain balance; meanwhile, WI will aim to use their momentum from Christchurch.