The “frustrating little niggle” in his right hamstring has been bugging Lockie Ferguson over the last few days. The 31-year-old quick still isn’t sure if he would be available for selection in Kolkata Knight Riders’ IPL 2023 opener against Punjab Kings at Mohali on Saturday, though he believes there has been “progress” in his recovery.
A standout characteristic of this Ferguson from New Zealand is his jovial nature, which makes him positive-minded. But in Ferguson’s to-do list, one that really matters is taking tips from his Knight Riders pace colleagues Shardul Thakur and Umesh Yadav that could come in handy in Indian conditions.
“I’ve played a lot with Shardul. He was in the Pune side (Rising Pune Supergiant) that first year when I came (in 2017). He was a young buck like me then and he has obviously had a fantastic career so far. With Umesh, this is the first time I’m playing. He’s a clear leader within the group and a man with a lot of experience, particularly in India.
“So no doubt, throughout the tournament, I will be trying to learn as much as I can from them. They are very friendly guys. It’s nice to talk to them about the skills that you need here as well as their thoughts on my bowling,” Ferguson told The Telegraph.
Raw pace and yorkers have been his forte, but Ferguson is also working on other variations. “The batters are becoming ever so much better at hitting yorkers, so change of pace has become a big thing.
“Also, you need to have different death-bowling plans as the scores have gone higher and higher. So yeah, I’m looking at change of pace, back-of-the-hand off-cutters and anything that I can add to my arsenal,” he said.
That said, pace continues to be key for this Black Caps quick. “It’s so challenging over here (in India) with the smaller boundaries while the wickets are getting better and better. But pace is still key because it cuts down that reaction time,” Ferguson, who, along with his elder brother Mitch, had developed an app (Machineroad) with which bowlers can measure their speeds on their smartphones, said.
