At a glance
Speedster takes it slowly on the comeback trail
Lockie Ferguson knows this is a marathon, not a sprint.
The Black Caps seamer went down with a calf strain 11 overs into his test debut against Australia in Perth in December, an injury that kept him out of action for almost two months.
He made his return last weekend for the Auckland Aces in the Ford Trophy, and will line up for them again tomorrow as they host the Otago Volts in the final at Eden Park Outer Oval.
Ferguson trained with the Black Caps last Friday when they were in Auckland, preparing to face India in an ODI, and has been in regular contact with coach Gary Stead while sidelined.
The test squad to face India is set to be named on Monday, but his name is unlikely to feature, with next month’s white-ball series against Australia a more realistic target.
‘‘Me and Steady talk all the time – he was asking me how I fared in my first domestic game back, then he was asking me how I was going preparing for the weekend,’’ Ferguson said.
‘‘Of course the goal is for me to get back as soon as possible, but there is so much cricket coming up this year.
‘‘We’ve got a lot of white-ball stuff and I head away to the IPL as well, so it’s important with a calf injury, where there’s a high percentage chance of re-injury, that we be conservative.
‘‘Sunday’s my focus and then I’ll be looking to play some first-class cricket.’’
Three years into his international career, Ferguson has established himself as a first-choice player in one-day and Twenty20 internationals, but has had to
What: Ford Trophy, grand final Who: Auckland Aces v Otago Volts When, where: Tomorrow, 11am; Eden Park Outer Oval
wait his turn behind Trent Boult, Tim Southee, and Neil Wagner (and Matt Henry) in the test setup.
There was plenty of excitement when the speedster finally got the nod in Perth before Christmas, but by the tea break his involvement in the match as a bowler was over.
‘‘Since I started playing professional cricket, it has been my goal to play test cricket, because I feel that’s the biggest challenge,’’ he said.
‘‘On the day it wasn’t to be, I only got through 11 overs, and it was really frustrating. We’ve tried to nail it down, but it’s one of those things. When you bowl quick, injuries can sometimes happen.’’
Ferguson was involved two years ago when the Aces last won the domestic oneday title, taking 3-28 as they beat the Central Stags in New Plymouth, and is looking forward to tomorrow’s final.
‘‘It’s exciting to look around the group in the changing room and see a lot of players with experience at international level. That brings a lot of calmness.’’