New Zealand fast bowler Lockie Ferguson is under an injury cloud, ahead of the the tri-series in Pakistan and the Champions Trophy, after hurting his hamstring while playing in the UAE's ILT20.
In the first qualifier on Wednesday, captaining Desert Vipers against Dubai Capitals, Ferguson left the field without completing his allotment of four overs. There was only one ball left, in both his spell and the innings, and Mohammad Amir stepped in to deliver it.
With Capitals needing one off the final ball, Sikandar Raza whipped Amir away for four to seal DC's spot in the final. At the post-match presentation, Ferguson said, "just a little hamstring issue, unfortunate. Tough night; wish I could've bowled the last ball."
Ferguson underwent a scan the next day, according to New Zealand head coach Gary Stead, to determine the severity of the injury. New Zealand are still awaiting more details.
"Lockie had a scan yesterday [Thursday] in the UAE," Stead said on the eve of the tri-series opener." We've got the images here and [we are] waiting for our radiologist to give us a report on the extent of it. Small hamstring injury, by the look of it, so we're just waiting on a timeline of advice around that before we make a decision on whether Lockie travels here [Pakistan] or whether we do have to replace him for the Champions Trophy."
Ferguson is the most experienced quick in New Zealand's squad for the Champions Trophy and his potential absence might disrupt their prep for the competition. Ben Sears, the Wellington tearaway, is working his way back from knee surgery, which had sidelined him for the Test tour of India and then the home series against Sri Lanka and England. Sears has played 17 T20Is and one Test so far but is uncapped in ODI cricket.
Ferguson also missed the Eliminator against Tim Southee's Sharjah Warriors in the ILT20 on Friday, handing over the captaincy duties to Sam Curran. During the toss, Curran stated that Ferguson was injured but didn't reveal the extent of problem.
In his first stint at the ILT20, Ferguson featured in only eight of Vipers' 12 matches so far, with his workload being monitored.
"We have tried to manage the players with rotation of quicks as much as we possibly can," Tom Moody, Vipers' director of cricket, said in the Vipers Voices podcast in January. "Lockie Ferguson, Mohammad Amir and Luke Wood, today, have all had a chance to rest and freshen up. But yes, it is a pretty tough schedule and there is an element of physical fatigue but probably, more importantly, mental fatigue.
"And there has not been that chance to really disengage and freshen up mentally. But that is the reality of tournament cricket. Everyone is trying to fit in a tournament within a certain window. And what comes of that is a pretty heavy schedule. And we came in expecting that, knowing that."
With the Champions Trophy less than two weeks away - New Zealand face Pakistan in the opener on February 19 in Karachi - Stead hinted that they would also rotate the seamers in the tri-series starting Saturday. The Black Caps will also play a day game against South Africa in Lahore on February 10; all other matches in the tri-series are day-night fixtures.
"I think it [selection] will depend on how people shape up, especially the bowlers after this first game and what their loads are like and then what the conditions are like as well," Stead said. "It's not quite as hot as you think it would be in Asia. It still gets pretty cold here in the evenings, so but if you bowl in the heat of the day, it might take more out of the bowlers. So, we will just manage that and be smart around it, understanding that the big tournament is the Champions Trophy. We want to make sure everyone is fit and firing for that."
New Zealand, though, will be bolstered by the return of Kane Williamson and Devon Conway who have both linked up with the national side in Lahore after finishing their franchise commitments with Durban's Super Giants (DSG) and Joburg Super Kings (JSK) respectively. Seamer Jacob Duffy, who had already been added to the squad as standby for Ferguson, could be in the selection frame, if the senior quick continues to remain on the sidelines.
Ferguson had originally been named in New Zealand's squad for the Champions Trophy despite opting out of a central contract and despite having not played an ODI since the 2023 World Cup.
While all eight teams have already named their Champions Trophy squads, they still have until February 12 to make changes if needed.