International career
Matthew James Henry was born on 14 December 1991. He is a right-arm fast-medium bowler who plays for Canterbury and the New Zealand national team. Henry played an important part in the New Zealand squad that won the 2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship. He was also included in the teams that finished as runners-up in the Cricket World Cup finals in 2015 and 2019, and in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy.
Henry studied at St Joseph’s School in Papanui and St Bede’s College in Christchurch. Later, he completed his sixth form studies at St Joseph’s College in Ipswich, England, where he attended on a one-year scholarship.
- 2014
- January 31: Made ODI debut vs India at Wellington (5th ODI).
- December 4: Made T20I debut vs Pakistan at Dubai (DICS).
- 2015
- May 21-25: Test debut vs England at Lord’s.
- Selected as a replacement for Adam Milne in the 2015 Cricket World Cup semi-final vs South Africa.
- Played in the 2015 Cricket World Cup final vs Australia, took wickets of David Warner and Michael Clarke.
- 2016
- Set New Zealand’s highest 9th wicket ODI partnership (84 runs) with Jimmy Neesham against India.
- 2018
- May: Awarded a new contract for the 2018–19 season by New Zealand Cricket.
- 2019
- April: Named in New Zealand’s squad for the 2019 Cricket World Cup.
- July 3: Played 50th ODI vs England.
- In the 2019 World Cup semi-final, took 3 wickets for 37 against India and was named player of the match.
- 2022
- February: Took first five-wicket haul in Test cricket with 7/23 vs South Africa.
- 2023
- March: Named in New Zealand’s ODI and T20I squads for Pakistan tour.
- April 14: Took a T20I hat-trick vs Pakistan, becoming the fourth New Zealand player to do so.
- 2024
- May: Named in New Zealand’s squad for the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup.
- December 14-17: Played last Test match vs England at Hamilton.
- 2025
- March 5: Played last ODI vs South Africa at Lahore.
- January 2: Played last T20I vs Sri Lanka at Nelson.
Leagues Participation
Kumar Kartikeya has played in several major cricket leagues around the world. He took part in the Indian Premier League, where many top players compete. He also played in the Major League Cricket and the Men’s Hundred tournaments. In 2023 and 2024, Kartikeya represented the Welsh Fire team.
Indian Premier League
Matt Henry was first bought by Chennai Super Kings in 2014 and 2015 but did not play any matches for them. Later, Kings XI Punjab signed him in 2017 for INR 5 million. In 2024, he joined Lucknow Super Giants as a replacement player and appeared in three games by April.
|
Year
|
Team
|
Notes
|
|
2014–2015
|
Chennai Super Kings
|
Signed but did not play any matches
|
|
2017
|
Kings XI Punjab
|
Bought for INR 5 million
|
|
2024
|
Lucknow Super Giants
|
Joined as replacement for David Willey, played 3 games
|
Major League Cricket
Matt Henry was part of the San Francisco Unicorns team in 2024. The league is growing quickly and attracts top players from around the world. Australia’s captain Pat Cummins also joined the Unicorns with other international players like Finn Allen and Corey Anderson.
|
Year
|
Team
|
Notes
|
|
2024
|
San Francisco Unicorns
|
Played alongside Pat Cummins and Finn Allen
|
Men’s Hundred
In 2023, Matt Henry played two matches for the Welsh Fire and took three wickets. Welsh Fire competes in The Hundred tournament, which held its second season in 2024.
|
Year
|
Team
|
Notes
|
|
2023–2024
|
Welsh Fire
|
Played 2 matches, took 3 wickets
|
Domestic career
Matt Henry has played domestic cricket for Canterbury in New Zealand since 2011, debuting in the Plunket Shield against Wellington. He spent time in English county cricket, representing Worcestershire in 2016 and Derbyshire during the 2017 NatWest T20 Blast. Henry joined Kent in 2018 as their overseas player and made a strong impact, including a ten-wicket haul against Durham and earning his Kent cap. He returned to Kent for the 2022 season. In 2017, Henry was bought by Kings XI Punjab for the IPL after previously signing with Chennai Super Kings but not playing. Though selected for the Edinburgh Rocks in the canceled 2019 Euro T20 Slam, Henry later signed with Somerset in 2023, where he led wickets and secured the T20 title by taking the winning wicket in the final. He re-signed with Somerset for the first half of the 2025 season.
Records and achievements
Matt Henry has earned a solid place in New Zealand cricket history through key performances and team successes. He contributed to major victories and set personal milestones in international tournaments.
- 2015: Played in the Cricket World Cup final, helping New Zealand reach the runner-up position.
- 2019: Again part of the New Zealand squad that finished as runners-up in the Cricket World Cup final.
- 2019–2021: Member of the New Zealand team that won the ICC World Test Championship.
- 2023: Took a historic five-wicket haul against India in the Cricket World Cup group stage, becoming the first player to achieve this feat in World Cup history.
- As of March 2025: Holds the record for most wickets taken by a New Zealand player in ICC World Cups, with 10 wickets at an average of 16.70.
Personal life
Matt Henry keeps his personal life mostly private but shares close ties with his family and hometown. Over the years, he has built a solid career and a growing fan base while managing his commitments both on and off the field.
Family
Matt Henry’s father is Jeff Henry and his mother is Lyn Henry. He has a brother named Ken Henry. Information about his spouse or children is not publicly available.
Finance
By 2025, Matt Henry’s estimated fortune is between $3 and $4 million.
Scandals
In March 2025, Henry faced a shoulder injury during the semi-final against South Africa, which put his participation in the World Cup final against India on March 9 in doubt.
Fans
Matt Henry has a loyal following, with over 62,000 fans following him on Instagram.
