Image Credit- AFP
Lockie Ferguson can still clearly remember the
Manchester World Cup semifinal in 2019 between India and New Zealand. In
addition to the fact that the Kiwis won, the game was amazing because of the
unusual circumstances that required it to be played over two days. The Kiwi
pacer is still struggling to process the significance of this unforgettable
game.
If the match had been finished that day, India might
have had a very strong chance of chasing down New Zealand’s small 239 total.
But as it stretched over into Day Two, the damp weather and early morning dew
favoured the pacers from New Zealand. By eighteen runs, India lost.
Four years on, there is a talk of revenge and it is
being said that India will look to avenge that heart-breaking defeat.
“Four years have gone past we’ve played a lot of cricket in between and
both teams I’m sure are raring to go come Wednesday,” Ferguson said.
“I guess (it’s) your job to write stories like that (about revenge). But
from our point of view, I’m not sure I can comment on that. But at the same
time, look, four years ago was a pretty spectacular game.”
A key player in the 2019 semifinal was Matt Henry.
When India started their chase on Day Two, the pacer made significant strides
by taking the wickets of Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul, his opening partner, in
consecutive overs. Due to an injury, Henry will not be present this time,
however according to Ferguson, Tim Southee has taken Henry’s place.
“Matt Henry is obviously a big hole in our side
and we’re still a handsome bunch without Matt Henry,” Ferguson felt.
“Obviously pretty disheartened with how Matt Henry exited the World Cup,
which was such a shame. But now from a cricket point of view Tim Southee brings
a lot of experience obviously being captain of the Test team, captain in T20s
and one-dayers too, so I think that experience counts for a lot. He’s also
played a lot in India, which is great too.”
On Wednesday, New Zealand will play their fifth
consecutive 50-over World Cup semifinal. Ferguson attributed such level of
consistency to the side’s level-headed characteristic. “When we start the
competition, much like every other team, we’re here to win it, but of course we
know there’s a process and I think certainly within our team we’ve played a lot
of cricket together for a long period of time, so we sort of stick to our
processes and I know it sounds cliche, but I think it keeps us sort of level-headed
and naturally as Kiwis we tend to stay where our feet are, which I think is a
positive.”
“It’s obviously a big pleasure to be part of the
semifinals. I know the team is very excited to get underway in a couple of days
and obviously to play at this ground – I’ve had a few games here and It’s a
pretty spectacular crowd. So, from our point of view, we’ve been playing some
great cricket. I’m looking forward to getting underway in a couple of
days,” the pacer said.