Test series over for injured Ferguson
Lockie Ferguson’s tour of Australia is over, with the Black Caps to confirm a replacement for the injured fast bowler today.
New Zealand coach Gary Stead told a media conference in Perth yesterday that Ferguson suffered a grade two strain to his right calf muscle on day one of their 296-run defeat to Australia in the first test.
He limped off the field after bowling 11 overs at Optus Stadium, but returned to bat in both New Zealand innings.
Ferguson was to fly home today with an expected 5-6 week rehabilitation period, which means he could return some time during the India series which starts on January 24.
‘‘The calf strain that he’s got is significant enough that it’ll be probably 5-6 weeks before he’s back and playing,’’ Stead said.
The news was better for pace spearhead Trent Boult who is set to return after a two-test absence due to a muscle injury near his ribs.
It means the frontline pace trio of Boult, Tim Southee and Neil Wagner will be reunited for the first time since the win over England at Mount Maunganui.
‘‘Trent’s going really well. He was probably 3-4-5 days short of being ready for the first test and it was a risk we weren’t prepared to take given the length of the season and what is still to come,’’ Stead said.
‘‘We weighed up the shortterm pain we could face if he reinjured against the long-term gain of what’s coming up.’’
Meanwhile, Shane Warne has called for the Boxing Day test to become a day-night fixture to help combat the venue’s recently lifeless wicket.
Apart from the most recent
Scoreboard
AUSTRALIA
First innings 416 Second innings 217-9 dec NEW ZEALAND
First innings 166 Second innings
J Raval c Lyon b Starc ................................. 1 T Latham lbw b Lyon ................................ 18 K Williamson c Wade b Lyon ................ 14 R Taylor c Paine b Starc .......................... 22 H Nicholls c Head b Lyon ....................... 21 BJ Watling c Paine b Starc .................... 40 C de Grandhomme c Smith b Cummins .............................................................................. 33 M Santner c Head b Cummins .............. 0 T Southee c Smith b Lyon ........................ 4 N Wagner c Paine b Starc ........................ 8 L Ferguson not out ....................................... 1 Extras (6lb, 1nb, 2w) .................................... 0 Total (all out, 65.3 overs) ...................... 171 Fall: 6 (Raval), 21 (Williamson), 57 (Taylor), 57 (Latham), 98 (Nicholls), 154 (de Grandhomme), 154 (Watling), 154 (Santner), 163 (Wagner), 171 (Southee). Bowling: M Starc 14-5-45-4, P Cummins 19-6-31-2 (2w, 1nb), N Lyon 22.3-3-63-4, T Head 5-1-13-0, M Labuschagne 5-0-13-0.
Result: Australia won by 296 runs, lead three-match series 1-0.
Sheffield Shield game, which was abandoned due to a dangerous pitch – a strip that won’t be used for Boxing Day – the MCG’s surface has produced pedestrian decks that favour batsmen, particularly in the past two summers against England and India.
Former Australia test spin king Warne said the answer to that problem was to break with tradition and move the start time of the Boxing Day test back to the afternoon to make it a day-night encounter.
‘‘They need to get it right,’’ Warne said yesterday. ‘‘Maybe a day-night test match [at the MCG].
‘‘The ball we see at night time swings around so if you had a Boxing Day test match at night I think it also gives everyone an extra sleep [in] after Christmas Day.
‘‘Push that Boxing Day test match to a twilight day-night test match I think would be fantastic.
‘‘I don’t think you need all daynight test matches but I think
Melbourne would be fantastic with 80 [or] 90,000 people there, two pink balls and I think you have solved the issue of the pitch anyway.’’
Warne said Adelaide and Melbourne should be day-night tests while Perth, Brisbane and Sydney should remain in the traditional day time slot.
Ben Stokes and the England cricket team had a cracking night in Aberdeen, hoovering up all the major prizes at the
BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year awards for 2019 – chiefly due to their dramatic win over New
Zealand in the World Cup final. Yesterday, Stokes received the Sports Personality of the Year trophy, the England men’s cricket side was voted Team of the Year while the Greatest Sporting Moment was adjudged to be Jos Buttler breaking the stumps to run out Martin Guptill to clinch victory at Lord’s.