Halstead Cricket Club’s members may well be keeping an avid eye on the ICC Cricket World Cup final on Sunday as one of their former players could be in the thick of the action in Melbourne.

Matt Henry, who spent a summer playing for Halstead in the Gibbs Denley East Anglian Premier League in 2010, could well be involved for New Zealand after featuring for the Black Caps in their astonishing semi-final victory against South Africa earlier this week.

Having not played a part in any of the Kiwis’ games in the early part of the World Cup, the 23-year-old fast bowler was brought into the side for the semi-final in Auckland as a replacement for the injured Adam Milne, who also has links to Essex after playing for Frinton two years ago.

Henry conceded 40 runs in the eight overs he bowled against South Africa in their 281 for five, with the Kiwis chasing down a revised target in a rain-affected match as they got home in thrilling fashion with a ball to spare.

It means they will now contest the final against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday and with the Black Caps looking to keep as settled a side as possible throughout the tournament, it is likely that the former Halstead player could be involved once again.