‘I’ve got my skipping rope’ says Lockie in lockdown as he beds in for Abu Dhabi IPL
Fast bowler’s welcome to Abu Dhabi for IPL — nasal swabs and a week in hotel room lockdown. Mark Geenty reports.
He tested negative, once again. Now, Black Caps fast bowler Lockie Ferguson is braced for a week of Abu Dhabi hotel-room lockdown on the eve of a big tournament, with just a skipping rope to train with.
Such is life amid Covid-19 in 2020 for the travelling international cricketer, as the Indian Premier League cautiously builds towards a start on September 19 in the United Arab Emirates, managing eight separate team bubbles. A recent scare among the Chennai Super Kings, when two players and up to 10 support staff tested positive after travelling from India, appears under control.
Ferguson and Black Caps team-mates Kane Williamson, Trent Boult and Jimmy Neesham flew to the UAE on Thursday and, with Mitchell Santner (currently playing the Caribbean Premier League), will return after the November 10 final for a fortnight of quarantine.
Pending Government approval, the West Indies will arrive around then and the Black Caps’ home season will kick off with a Twenty20 international in late November.
For now, Ferguson forwarded the email of his negative test to his Kolkata Knight Riders team medical staff before departure, and faced two more nasal swabs on arrival in Dubai, and at the team base in Abu Dhabi.
In between he’ll be confined to his room for 6-7 days, armed with a training programme devised by Black Caps strength and conditioning coach Chris Donaldson. Skipping, sets of 100 squats, burpees and push-ups will be his lot in the airconditioned room with 40-degree temperatures outside.
‘‘ We’re in the room the whole time, with room service for all our meals, and once we come out of that and test negative we’re allowed in our team’s bubble. I’ll have my skipping rope with me and see how many skips I can bust out. I’m sure I can keep myself occupied,’’ Ferguson said.
That leaves just over a week to hit the nets and prove his readiness for their opening match, as KKR coach Brendon McCullum jets in with Santner from the CPL.
Like his New Zealand teammates, Ferguson hasn’t played a match since March 13, when they lost to Australia at an empty Sydney Cricket Ground.
The next day they flew home, experienced the swab up the nose for the first time, and went into a fortnight of lockdown, before the country joined them at alert level 4.
Ferguson, with brother Mitch, put the finishing touches on a speed radar app which will have its official launch later this month. He tuned up on grass pitches at Black Caps winter training camps at Mount Maunganui and built a solid fitness base.
He’ll count the days until that first net session in Abu Dhabi and a warm-up game or two to really show his wares.
‘‘In terms of my speed, man, I have no idea. I haven’t been coming in off the long run because just as we were ramping up we went into level 3 lockdown. That put the brakes on me being able to bowl on grass because there were no facilities in Auckland,’’ he said.
‘‘ I feel reasonably fit and strong, I’ve been working hard ... it’d be nice to clock up some good speeds. But as I’ve said many a time, it doesn’t always matter how fast you bowl because it can go to the boundary quicker.’’
Ferguson struggled at last year’s IPL, playing just five matches and snaring two wickets. Used to being brought in mid-innings in Twenty20 to make an impact for New Zealand, he found it tough with the new ball and at the death in a spin-heavy attack. He was down, but perked up when he arrived in England and was one of the Black Caps best at the Cricket World Cup.
‘‘Unless you go through that lull and those tough times you don’t really know what it’s like, and last year was more challenging than other tours I’ve been on — but I came out better for it. This time it’s different circumstances and a different team and sure it’ll be a really enjoyable time as the IPL always is.’’
Ferguson will watch and learn from Australian speedster Pat Cummins, who was purchased for $NZ3.15 million at auction. Other overseas players jostling for four import slots in the KKR XI are England’s Eoin Morgan, Tom Banton and Harry Gurney, and West Indies’ stars Andre Russell and Sunil Narine.
Williamson admitted to some anxious moments predeparture and Ferguson remained confident everything possible was being done to keep them safe. ‘‘It’s certainly in the back of your mind but the powers that be in these competitions obviously put safety first for players and support staff.
‘‘They don’t want to risk the tournament getting shut down or games being stopped. We’re putting all sorts of precautions in place to make sure we’re safe and hopefully Covid can stay out of the camps.’’
‘‘I feel reasonably fit and strong, I’ve been working hard . . . it’d be nice to clock up some good speeds.’’ Lockie Ferguson