World record! New Zealand’s Ferguson bowls runless four-over spell in T20 World Cup
New Zealand’s Lockie Ferguson produced the most economical return in T20 World Cup history after bowling his maximum permitted four overs without conceding a run against Papua New Guinea on Monday.
The 33-year-old fast bowler finished with three wickets for no runs in four overs during a Group C game against non-Test nation PNG in Tarouba, Trinidad.
Ferguson was introduced in the fifth over of PNG’s innings after Kane Williamson opted to bowl in the rain-delayed match in Tarouba. He picked up a wicket on his very first ball of the match, dismissing captain Assad Vala for 6. Ferguson’s pace caused serious problems for the PNG batters, who looked out of place against a significantly better opponent in New Zealand.
Ferguson continued from the other end after the Powerplay and bowled another maiden, this time to Sese Bau, as he kept mixing his lengths to create issues for the batter. Ferguson was called back in the 12th over and created an instant impact yet again, dismissing Charles Amini on 17 on his second ball.
During his fourth over, there were two runs scored off the third ball, but they were given leg-byes, meaning the runs weren’t added to Ferguson’s final figures. He eventually bowled a fourth maiden while dismissing Chad Soper for 1 to achieve the incredible feat in the shortest format.
Ferguson became the only second bowler in T20I history to reach this feat; Canada’s Saad Bin Zafar was the first to bowl four maidens in a T20I. He reached this feat during a T20 World Cup qualifier against Panama. Zafar had picked two wickets in his bowling spell, a record which Ferguson has now bettered with three dismissals to his name.
Overall, it had been a disappointing campaign for the Kiwis, with the side already eliminated from the competition. The Kane Williamson-led team faced defeats to Afghanistan and West Indies in its group, which confirmed its early exit in the tournament.
Ahead of their final match against PNG, the side’s leading pacer Trent Boult confirmed that he would retire from T20Is following the World Cup.
