Henry believes experience could help New Zealand go one step further

May 25 (CRICKETNMORE) - Matt Henry is convinced the experienced heads in the New Zealand squad could prove decisive as they look to go one better than four years ago.

The Black Caps reached the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup final in 2015 – ultimately suffering a seven-wicket defeat to Australia – and six of the starting XI that day are in the 2019 squad.

Seamers Henry, Tim Southee and Trent Boult, as well as batsmen Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor, are the returning faces hoping to apply the lessons they learned from that tournament.

And Henry insists having a core that have been there and done it on the biggest stage can only be beneficial as they look to bring the trophy back to New Zealand for the first time.

“Being involved in the 2015 final was pretty cool,” admits Henry. “That semi-final against South Africa was a special moment at a packed Eden Park as well and the way it came down to the wire with Grant 

Elliott hitting that six [off the penultimate ball to win it] was incredible.

“The great thing is we’ve got a lot of players who were involved in that team and a lot of guys who have been involved in the set-up for a long time.

“It’s been an exciting period from the last World Cup to here and everyone is really excited to get rolling.

“There’s no perfect blend of youth and experience but it’s nice to have the senior guys. Ross [Taylor] has played in a number of World Cups, Tim [Southee] and Trent [Boult] have also played in a few and then you’ve got Kane [Williamson] as well.

“That experience is great – it’s been a close-knit group for a while and we really enjoy playing our cricket together.

“It’s great that I’ve got the games under my belt personally and nice to have been involved for so long but equally, it doesn’t matter how many games you play, a World Cup is always exciting – especially in the UK.”

Henry forms part of a formidable New Zealand pace unit alongside Southee, Boult and newcomer Lockie Ferguson.

The quartet are arguably a match for any seam attack at the tournament and Henry has pedigree on these shores after taking 75 wickets, more than anyone else in the English County Championship, while playing for Kent last summer.

“It’s a lot of fun being part of it and we are quite lucky to have such a strong bowling attack,” he added. 

“The key thing is that we like to push ourselves and we enjoy spurring each other on.

“It’s also nice having come over here and proved you can play in those conditions. I think that’s a strength of our side – we’ve had a lot of players who have played in England, so it’s not too foreign.

“Being familiar with the grounds you play at is great as well. Understanding if there are any traits in a specific wicket can give you a head-start over the batsmen.”

ICC