Matt Henry and Glenn Phillips [Source: AFP]New Zealand crushed England by 253 runs at the Oval in London last weekend to level the three-match Test series 1-1. Heroes of the match, fast bowler Matt Henry and all-rounder Glenn Phillips, are now all set to miss New Zealand’s impending decider against the same opponents at Trent Bridge in Nottingham.With New Zealand coping a massive blow ahead of the third and final Test of the series, here is a look at the exact reason behind Phillips and Henry’s absence from the Nottingham Test. Why are Matt Henry and Glenn Phillips not playing 3rd Test?New Zealand’s in-form fast bowler Matt Henry is set to miss the third Test against England owing to a calf injury. As confirmed by the ‘Black Caps’ on social media roughly an hour before the toss in Nottingham, the board stated that Henry felt pain while bowling at The Oval in the second Test last week.Moreover, scans on his left calf revealed that the speedster is suffering from a low-grade muscle strain. The assessment indicated that the 34-year-old might require between two to four weeks for recovery.Also Read- Matt Henry Breaks 32-Year-Old Record; Registers Best Bowling Figures For NZ Vs ENGIt is worth noting that the right-arm quick also missed New Zealand’s one-off Test against Ireland in Stormont last month, as he was still recovering from a low-grade left hamstring strain.Glenn Phillips, on the other hand, will miss the decider owing to a side strain injury. Much like Matt Henry, the star New Zealand all-rounder also felt pain during the second Test earlier this month. BLACKCAPS @BLACKCAPS A team update ahead of the toss at Trent Bridge today. #ENGvNZ Jun 25, 2026, 2:40 PM The NZC is yet to come up with an official estimated timeline of Glenn’s potential return to competitive cricket. When Matt Henry and Glenn Phillips won it for New ZealandBoth Matt Henry and Glenn Phillips were the architects of New Zealand’s emphatic win over England at The Oval in London, thus making their absence from the decider all the more concerning for the tourists. Phillips scored a courageous 100 from 135 balls in the first New Zealand innings of the match to notch up his maiden Test century. Henry, on the other hand, scythed through England’s famed batting line-up twice in the match. The senior fast bowler picked up five wickets in the first innings, and another six in the decisive innings to collect a match-winning match haul of 11-109. Henry’s spell also helped him join India’s Jasprit Bumrah to become the joint-number one ranked ICC Men’s bowler in Test cricket rankings. Kyle Jamieson rested, Santner and Sears return in playing XILanky paceman Kyle Jamieson has also been rested from the New Zealand playing XI for the third Test as part of his workload management, as reported earlier. Mitchell Santner, Ben Sears and Blair Tickner were all called back into the playing XI as official replacements of the missing trio. Here is a look at New Zealand’s entire playing XI for the third Test against England at Trent Bridge.New Zealand Playing XI: Tom Latham (c), Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell (wk), Mitchell Santner, Nathan Smith, Blair Tickner, Ben Sears and William O'Rourke.New Zealand captain Tom Latham won the toss and opted to bat first. Also Read- Pakistan Cricketer Declares Wife Openly Supports India
