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Opinion

Lockie Ferguson is New Zealand’s only chance to win the first Test

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Expert
9th December, 2019
19

Yet to make his Test debut, Lockie Ferguson’s reputation has been built on fearsome white-ball bowling that is easily translatable to pink-ball cricket on a good Perth Stadium track.

Reminiscent of the dominance of Jasprit Bumrah in 2018, unleashing the 27-year-old now will do wonders for the travelling nation.

There are still fitness concerns around Trent Boult and Colin de Grandhomme, but assuming at least the former is fit, it only makes sense to include Ferguson.

New Zealand carry a lot of hype, which is justified given their standing as the second-ranked Test nation and the performances 2019 has brought.

With a horrendous record in Test cricket against Australia, and the fact the host nation is nigh on impossible to beat at home against teams that don’t travel well, it’s time to adopt an aggressive mindset and challenge the schoolyard bullies.

Ferguson is an easy inclusion that New Zealand can afford to bring in, given the number of bowling options the team carries.

It means the Black Caps can use him in short, sharp spells, placing importance on every single delivery he bowls and putting the Australians on notice.

Australia tends to bully the opposition when playing at home, particularly if there’s a bit of pace and bounce.

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Mitch Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood can all bowl in excess of 140 kilometres per hour, and will bowl short at a relatively undersized New Zealand batting attack that probably enjoys the hook shot a little too much to keep ducking and evading.

While Neil Wagner may share a similar strategy and mindset, left-arm medium pace won’t be as effective as what Ferguson will provide.

New Zealand's Lockie Ferguson

(AP Photo/Mark Baker)

The 27-year-old has been denied a Test debut so far due to the quality of the pitches, which have not suited his bowling.

Therefore, the first day/night Test in Perth is the perfect opportunity for New Zealand to unleash their most dangerous weapon, who would form a formidable pink-ball partnership with one of the world’s best with it, Trent Boult.

Boult loves bowling with the pink ball and his swing mixed with Ferguson’s pace would test the entire Australian top order.

Tim Southee is the man who would miss out, with a record of just 25 wickets at 49.24 in 11 Tests against Australia – a record that worsens when playing away from home with 16 wickets at 50.68.

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Expensive and ineffective, New Zealand must move on from their 69-Test veteran for the upcoming series, in favour of the energetic x-factor that can be brought by Ferguson.

Competitiveness rests on the entire team, and the aggressive approach must be brought with the bat as well.

New Zealand should become creative in a bid to take the game on, dropping opener Jeet Raval and offering the aggressive and crafty Tom Blundell the opportunity to open the batting.

With ball in hand, however, the selection of Lockie Ferguson could instigate another boil-over in Australia by a travelling team.

His first-class record is nothing to sneeze at – 153 wickets in 42 matches at an average of 24.30.

Ferguson was only used sporadically five years ago as an option in first-class cricket, but his long-form improvement has been noticeable. And with a good run in the UK with Derbyshire as well as an impressive 11 five-fors in his first-class career, Ferguson is ready for the responsibility of Test cricket.

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Most importantly, Ferguson’s mentality and confidence hasn’t been sullied by scars of the past.

Even if there is hype surrounding him, Ferguson proved he can handle it in the World Cup, where he was the most impressive bowler in the competition and nearly helped his team win the entire tournament.

As India did against an admittedly under-strength Australian team, New Zealand need to match fire with fire.

This time, however, it must come from adopting a similar strategy with bat in hand, and with scary bowling.

Lockie Ferguson has been preparing for a Test debut for a while now.

If New Zealand want to defy history and be as competitive as everyone is expecting, it’s time to pull the trigger.

Ferguson must play in Perth to help New Zealand cap off a stunning 2019.

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