Matt Puts The Gloss On A Famous Kiwi Success

SOMETIMES the scene of your biggest disappointment is the setting for your greatest triumph.

- James Toney

It is 18 days since Matt Henry was carted to all corners of Old Trafford by a combination of Chris Gayle and Carlos Brathwaite, as the West Indies came within inches of an improbable win.

As his team-mates celebrated their ultimately dramatic victory, he looked as though he wanted to be half a world away, back home in Christchurch and a million miles from a cricket field.

There were immediate calls for a new approach, with Henry’s figures to forget, 1-76 off nine, including a horror 25 off his last over. It prompted a chorus of critics to sing for change, citing his lack of penetration, variation and accuracy.

But how he answered them in scenes of undiluted drama in Manchester, with a brilliant combination of all the above inspiring New Zealand to beat India and secure their place in a second consecutive World Cup final.

Henry secured the scalps of Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Dinesh Karthik, the latter thanks to a catch beyond superlatives by Jimmy Neesham, as India were stunned and the Bharat Army silenced.

In this semi-final, played over two days after Tuesday’s rain delays, Henry proved whatever setbacks you face, whatever adversity you endure, that joy really does come in the morning.