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Major blows for New Zealand, as they have lost their mainstays because of injuries and fitness concerns. Ahead of the third of the three-match Test series against England at Trent Bridge, starting today, the BlackCaps shared multiple updates about their playing eleven for the game.
It is going to be the decisive match of the ongoing Test series as both teams have won one each in the previous two encounters. As the New Zealand Cricket has informed, pacer Matt Henry and in-form batter Glenn Phillips will not play the third Test because of injury reasons.
Multiple injury concerns for New Zealand: Matt Henry, Glenn Phillips, and Kyle Jamieson ruled out of the 3rd Test
“Glenn Phillips will miss the third Test against England at Trent Bridge due to a side strain injury. Phillips felt side pain during the second Test at The Oval. Further assessment will determine Phillips’ return-to-play timeline,” the Blackcaps informs this about the batter.
For Matt Henry, the cricket board says, “Matt Henry will miss the third Test against England at Trent Bridge due to a calf injury. Henry felt pain during the second Test at The Oval, and subsequent scans on his left calf revealed a low-grade muscle strain. Initial assessment suggests a recovery time of 2–4 weeks.”
A team update ahead of the toss at Trent Bridge today.#ENGvNZ pic.twitter.com/plNaLL012f
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) June 25, 2026
Another pacer, Kyle Jamieson, is another absentee in the match. He has been rested for the match.
Three forced replacements for New Zealand
In place of Matt Henry, Glenn Phillips, and Kyle Jamieson, Ben Sears, Mitch Santner, and Blair Tickner have joined the team for the series decider.
The injuries of Glenn Phillips and Matt Henry could be costly for the team, as both of them were the prime architects behind the second Test win at The Oval. After going down in the series opener, New Zealand bounced back strongly in the second match and made the remaining fixture a virtual final.
"Yeah, obviously a bit of a tale of changes throughout, I guess, the series, but unfortunately, Glenn Phillips and Matt Henry have been ruled out with some niggles, so Mitch Santner comes back in, Ben Sears and Blair Tickner come in for Kyle Jamieson, who's sort of been rested through more workload,' New Zealand skipper Tom Latham informed at the toss.
Why can the absence of Phillips and Henry be costly for New Zealand?
In the second match, the seamer Matt Henry was named as the player for his stunning bowling spells in both of the innings. He took 6 wickets in the second innings to go with his first innings 5-fer.
With the bat, Glenn Phillips, who is mostly known for his phenomenal fielding, took the team to a stronger position in the second match by scoring a hundred. In the first innings, Phillips scored 100 off 135 balls and helped New Zealand to secure a well competitive total of 391 runs.
New Zealand playing XI vs England for the third Test:
Tom Latham (C), Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell (WK), Mitchell Santner, Nathan Smith, Blair Tickner, Ben Sears, and Will O’Rourke.
