Lockie Ferguson talks about New Zealand’s chances against India in semifinal of ODI World Cup 2023
India and New Zealand are set to face each other in the semifinal of the ODI World Cup 2023. The two teams had faced each other in the semifinal of the ODI World Cup 2019 as well. In the match in 2019, India was knocked out of the tournament by New Zealand in Manchester’s Old Trafford. India lost the match by 18 runs despite ending the group stage of the tournament in the top spot.
India is in a similar situation in 2023. India is unbeaten in the ODI World Cup 2023 till now. The home side will be playing the first semifinal of the tournament against New Zealand in Mumbai’s Wankhede stadium. So far in the tournament, pacers have performed well in Mumbai. The seam bowlers have got some assistance, along with the spinners due to the red soil.
New Zealand missed the services of Matt Henry from the middle of the tournament due to an injury he sustained in one of the matches. The Kiwi pacer was one of the key bowlers in the attack of the Blackcaps and was a genuine wicket-taker for them. In the absence of Henry, Southee has made it to the side, and Kyle Jamieson is named as the replacement in the squad.
‘We are still a handsome bunch without Matt Henry’ – Lockie Ferguson
Ahead of the big match between the two teams, Lockie Ferguson appeared for the pre-match conference. In the arena, Ferguson was asked about the injury of Henry and the implications following it. The express pacer acknowledged the fact that the injury of Henry had not done any good for them. But he also added that New Zealand is good even without him.
“We look good here. Matt Henry is obviously a big hole in our side and we’re still a handsome bunch without Matt Henry,” said Ferguson. The last time India played New Zealand in the semifinal; Henry bowled a sensational spell with the new ball in Old Trafford. Henry dismissed both the openers KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma early in the innings and reduced India to 5/3 in a matter of few overs.
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