New Zealand v Australia: Matt Henry lifts Black Caps in second test at Hagley Oval - Andrew Alderson

Matt Henry leads off the Black Caps at Hagley Oval. Photo / Photosport

By Andrew Alderson at Hagley Oval

New Zealand pace bowler Matt Henry enjoyed the finest of trips to fine leg after dismissing Australian allrounder Mitchell Marsh lbw for a duck on the second day of the second cricket test.

Short of having a red carpet rolled out and a complimentary glass of champagne thrust in his direction at his home ground, he was feted by the Canterbury faithful with a standing ovation.

Henry had secured his third five-wicket bag in tests, going on to record figures of 7-67 from 23 overs with the removal of Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins to wrap the tail.

Usman Khawaja, Cameron Green, Travis Head and that pest of a nightwatchman Nathan Lyon completed his victim scroll.

Henry had taken stock of Josh Hazlewood’s five wickets for 31 runs in the first innings.

“Watching him go about his work was a blueprint for how we wanted to bowl. It was a matter of being accurate for a long period of time and creating pressure.”

The rise of Henry to lead the attack and help the batting tail wag has been the Black Caps’ principal series highlight to date.

The 32-year-old right-armer has helped fill a vacuum created by Trent Boult’s absence, Neil Wagner’s retirement and captain Tim Southee’s recent struggle for wickets.

Henry charged in with bristling aggression to claim his second five-for against the tourists after securing another as part of an eight-wicket haul in Wellington.

He has 15 wickets at an average of 11.53, the most of anyone in the series with one innings apiece to come. Married with the best economy rate of 2.65 has made him a venomous force to combat for the visiting batters.

The reverse is also true.

Until late on the second day when Tom Latham caressed 65 not out, Henry had been the highest New Zealand run-scorer in the series. An aggregate of 85 had come courtesy of 42, 14 and 29, mitigating embarrassment for the Black Caps during previous innings in the series.

“I had no idea, that’s fantastic,” Henry replied when confronted with the statistic at the opening day’s press conference.

He tempered the comment by backing his teammates who duly delivered within 24 hours via Latham and Kane Williamson’s 105-run second-wicket, second-innings stand.

“It’s not a concern, looking at our batting line-up, we’ve got world-class players there. They’ve been fantastic for a number of years.”

Henry’s success might also be tethered to his Cantabrian roots.

His 25-test bowling average of 32.09 drops to 23.13 from six matches at Hagley Oval and his batting mean increases from 22.46 to 35.71.

He’s a walking billboard for the power of home advantage.