Matt Henry dents England with his seventh Test fifer: Stats
What's the story
New Zealand pacer Matt Henry has made the ball talk in the ongoing second Test against England at The Oval. His exceptional five-wicket haul has put his team in a commanding position, with England trailing by 100 runs by the end of the first innings of both sides. This performance also earned Henry a spot on the prestigious honors board at The Oval. The veteran pacer claimed his maiden Test fifer against the Brits. Here are his stats.
Bowling brilliance
A stunning spell from Henry
Glenn Phillips's century helped the visitors post a total of 391/10 in their first innings. England started their innings on a promising note but soon fell apart due to poor shot selection and running. Stand-in captain Joe Root (46) was Henry's first victim as the latter bowled a delivery that nipped back sharply. Harry Brook (26) was Henry's only other victim on the second day as England finished at 222/6.
Tactical shift
Henry's brilliance on Day 3 morning
Henry looked nothing but lethal on Day 3 morning as he dismissed the duo of Jordan Cox (27) and Jofra Archer (8) fell to him early on. The pacer completed his fifer by dismissing Josh Tongue for 1. Matthew Fisher's 50* at number nine frustrated the Kiwis a bit as England finished at 291/10. While Henry claimed five wickets, William O'Rourke struck twice. Kyle Jamieson and Nathan Smith took a wicket apiece.
Stats
Henry's maiden fifer against England
Henry was the pick of the bowlers for New Zealand, taking five wickets for 80 runs (24 overs). The pacer, who made his debut in 2015, now has 146 wickets across 35 Tests at 26.91. This was his seventh fifer in the format. As per ESPNcricinfo, 44 of his scalps have come across 11 games against England at 31.61 as he recorded his maiden five-wicket haul against them. The 34-year-old Henry now has 28 fifers in First-Class cricket (4W: 38).