Champions Trophy: Lockie Ferguson's participation uncertain due to hamstring injury
What's the story
New Zealand's star pacer Lockie Ferguson has picked up a hamstring injury during Qualifier 1 of the ongoing ILT20 tournament.
The 33-year-old cricketer sustained the injury while captaining the Desert Vipers against Dubai Capitals in Qualifier 1.
Following this setback, his participation in the upcoming Champions Trophy, which starts on February 19, now hangs in the balance.
Meanwhile, he has undergone scans to determine the severity of the injury.
Here's more.
Injury assessment
Ferguson's injury severity yet to be determined
As mentioned, Ferguson has undergone scans to determine the severity of his hamstring injury.
The results are still pending, leaving New Zealand head coach Gary Stead unable to confirm Ferguson's availability for the upcoming tri-series against Pakistan and South Africa.
"Lockie had a scan yesterday [Thursday] in the UAE. We've got the images here and [we are] waiting for our radiologist to give us a report on the extent of it," Stead said on the eve of the tri-series opener.
Player rotation
Vipers's workload management strategy revealed
Notably, the Dessert Vipers have been keeping a close eye on the workload of their pacers throughout the tournament.
Ferguson has played in 10 of the 12 games they have played. He has bagged 20 scalps in these 10 matches.
Tom Moody, Director of Cricket for the Vipers, previously stated that they had rested all bowlers, emphasizing the importance of managing physical and mental fatigue in modern-day cricket.
Stats
The pacer's ODI stats at a glance
Across 65 ODI matches (64 innings), the pacer has picked up 99 scalps.
He averages 31.55 while owning an economy rate of 5.68. Ferguson also owns two four-wicket hauls and one five-wicket haul.
Additionally, his best bowling inning reads 5/45 which he recorded against Pakistan in 2018.
Meanwhile, in Pakistan, he owns three scalps (three matches, AVG: 48.33). However, in UAE, he has managed 11 wickets in three matches at an average of 12.81.
Squad
A look at the Black Caps' squad for the tournament
New Zealand: Mitchell Santner (c), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Will O'Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Ben Sears, Nathan Smith, Kane Williamson, Will Young