It took time, but Wanganui representative cricketer Henry Collier finally got to pad up at the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup in Dubai this week.
Opening batsman Collier took no part in the part of the tournament to decide which teams would advance to the Super League portion of thetournament.
Disappointingly, the Young Guns lost to Sri Lanka by 49 runs, had a 112-run win over hosts United Arab Emirates, then were hammered by England by 115 runs to be knocked out of championship contention.
With the Kiwis hoping to finish ninth overall, Collier was selected to open the batting on Sunday against Papua New Guinea in the consolation Plate competition. Despite being rusty, he scored 33 from 76 balls before being run out as New Zealand reached 190-4, chasing down a target of 186.
Collier also took 2-14 from his six overs with his spinners.
Then on Tuesday, he was again impressive with the ball, taking 1-19 from his seven overs, including three maidens, as New Zealand bowled United Arab Emirates out for 140 in the Plate semifinal.
He was then dismissed cheaply for nine, but New Zealand still reached 141-5 to put themselves into the Plate final against Bangladesh.
