MATCH STORIES
Follow UsWhile New Zealand were knocked out well before their clash against Papua New Guinea, they still had a last dance before the tournament ended. New Zealand’s speedster Lockie Ferguson orchestrated that dance with a spell for the ages.
Opting to bowl first, PNG were down to 14/1 when Ferguson was introduced into the attack. The 33-year-old speedster turned the clash instantaneously with his pace, accounting for Assad Vala, who was dismissed for a 16-ball six.
Every delivery that proceeded the wicket was one thunderbolt after another, going past Sese Bau’s defence, who looked all at sea against the express pace. One maiden over is not such a big deal.
So Bau thought.
To his horror, somehow, destiny lined up a second over for Ferguson against Bau. Yet again, it was a repeat of the previous over, with three consecutive dots. That’s when the Kiwi speedster decided to come around the wicket. Bau’s plans, too, changed. He charged the speedster, but the result was like a broken record – another dot.
Four dots turned into six, as Bau was still standing there trying to fathom tackling the ‘Flash’ in teal. Two overs, two maidens, and 12 thunderous deliveries left the PNG batters clueless. Bau himself faced 11 of them. PNG’s scoreboard read 16/2 when it could have been much worse.
Luckily for Bau, Kane Williamson gave his express pacer a break, bringing Mitchell Santner into the attack. However, the break lasted just four overs before Williamson brought back the 33-year-old into the attack.
Two deliveries later, Ferguson struck again, his second wicket of the night, as Charles Amini looked as clueless as the other teammates who faced him on the night. All that Hiri Hiri could do was acknowledge Ferguson’s greatness and just trod the ball.
Three overs, three maidens, two wickets – such a spell only happens once in a lifetime. It was the first time any bowler bowled three maidens in a T20 World Cup and the most by a bowler in a spell amongst all full-member sides.
Do you really think that Ferguson was satisfied with three maidens?
Ask Chad Sopper. He will tell you. Ferguson was as monstrous as anyone could get, removing Sopper off the second ball of his fourth over. One of PNG’s best batters this campaign, Kiplin Doriga, could only smile as the next four deliveries whizzed past his bat. It was almost like the pace was too surreal for PNG, who couldn’t even spot the ball as it passed the bat.
Four overs, four maidens, three wickets, and one Ferguson spell for the ages.
The 33-year-old became the only bowler in T20 World Cup history to bowl four maidens and the second in all T20Is to bowl four maidens after Canada’s captain Saad Bin Zafar, who did it against Panama in 2021. New Zealand might have already been eliminated from the competition, but Ferguson’s raw pace wasn’t going to leave without a mark.
Just imagine this: four overs, four maidens, three wickets in 2024, a year where T20 cricket has witnessed several bowlers conceding 70 runs for fun.
Madness. Brute. Raw pace.
Call it whatever you want to, but you certainly have a story to tell your grandkids. And it starts with, "There was once a bowler named Lockie..."
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