Cricket World Cup 2023 We are trying to be creative in the middle period, says Ferguson

Hues of a catch: Conway came up with a superlative effort to send back Shanto off Phillips.
| Photo Credit: RAGU R

 New Zealand pacer Lockie Ferguson was pleased with the bounce on offer from the pitch at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on Friday. His fiery spell, in which he peppered the Bangladesh batters with short-pitched stuff, paid rich dividends as he scalped three wickets and grabbed the Player-of-the-Match award.

“It was nice. I have played once here before, and it was spin-friendly. But it’s nice that this wicket had pace and bounce,” said the Kiwi pacer.

“When it was not swinging and on a fuller length, it looked pretty defendable. We tried to change things up, go short, and sort of what I do through the middle,” added Ferguson.

“We are trying to be creative in the middle period. We are just trying to take wickets, and it’s important here in India. We did that as a group well in the first three games. Once again, I’m trying to find different ways to put the batters under pressure and hopefully get a wicket.

The other star for the Black Caps was Daryl Mitchell, who, too, made it clear that he would prefer the same strip for the team’s next match against Afghanistan on Wednesday. Mitchell started scratchily trying to take on the spinners before coming into his own as he took the attack to the opposition and finished with an unbeaten 89.

“There’s a job for me to do within this team, and it involves being a part of the partnership and communicating with each other. We were trying to put the pressure back on the opposition, and it was nice to get the job done,” said Mitchell on his aggressive approach from the start.

The all-rounder also said Devon Conway and Mitchell Santner’s knowledge of the conditions from their time with Chennai Super Kings in the IPL helped the team prepare.

“It definitely had a little bit of bounce. A couple of Chennai boys in Santner and Conway gave us some inside information which was good to have.

“It’s a nice wicket, and hopefully, it’s the same in a few days’ time,” he added.