We Have Got Nothing To Lose, All The Pressure Is On India - Lockie Ferguson Recalls The 2019 World Cup Semi-Final

New Zealand fast bowler Lockie Ferguson talks about “one of the craziest games” he ever played: the 2019 World Cup semi-final against India, which the Kiwis won by 18 runs in a thrilling fashion.

The match was split between two days, owing to the rain interruption, with New Zealand needed to be left to bat only a few overs. Lockie Ferguson remembers telling his girlfriend that the pressure was on India to chase down an ordinary target and that they didn’t have much to lose as India was the favourite for the game and the tournament.

“That was one of the craziest games I have ever played. (The match was played) over two days. We scored some 240-odd (239 for 8) and it was such an interesting vibe because we thought 240 was an okay score. We sort of got the feeling from India that they knew we hadn’t got enough, with their batting attack.

“Then we went and slept on it that night. My girlfriend was with me at that time. We were talking about it and she asked me if I was nervous. I said, ‘we have still got nothing to lose at this point, because we have got runs on the board and all the pressure is on India’,” Lockie Ferguson said while speaking on the YouTube channel Cricket Life Stories.

Boult and Henry bowled one of the best opening spells I have seen: Lockie Ferguson

That pressure and the Kiwi opening bowlers really got the better of the Indians. Matt Henry got both the Indian openers – Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul – for 1 each, and Trent Boult dismissed skipper Virat Kohli for 1 as well as the Indian side was left reeling at 5/3. They slipped to 24/4 and then 92/6.

While Ravindra Jadeja and MS Dhoni performed the rescue act, it proved too late for a little too much as the favourites crashed out at the semis.

Lockie Ferguson, who was the second-highest wicket-taker in the tournament with 21 wickets, says that the opening spell from Boult and Henry was one of the finest he has seen. And while they went through to the final, the Kiwis endured a long day of cricket in the final where hosts England won on the boundary count rule after the match, and then the super over was tied.

“Trent Boult and Matt Henry bowled one of the best opening spells I have seen. They knocked the top off and really put the pressure back on India. Yes, an amazing game of cricket. It was pretty special to get the win and go through to the final. And the final, it was the longest one-day game of cricket I have ever played,” the 29-year-old stated.

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