Three New Zealand cricketers namely Trent Boult, Martin Guptill and Jimmy Neesham gave up their central contracts last year to play in domestic leagues around the world.
Speaking on this topic, Kiwi pacer Lockie Ferguson on Tuesday (January 31) empathized with his fellow teammates but said they want to represent the country in showpiece tournaments such as the World Cup.
“I don’t think I have the answer. And it’s certainly above my pay grade but, from our point of view, you can understand players when they’re at the sort of back end of their careers,” Ferguson told reporters on the eve of the third T20I against India in Ahmedabad.
“But at the same time, I know they will still want to play for New Zealand. So finding the balance, I’m not sure what that might be. Certainly, as I said, people above the chain to me, will work that out. But I think, from a player’s point of view, we love playing for the Black Caps.”
“Certainly since I’ve been playing such a rich history of being very successful, and that’s enjoyable to play and seeing the young talent come through and do well as well is very rewarding.
“So, I think, from a player’s point of view, we want to play for New Zealand in World Cups. That’s sort of what kids dream of, and I think there’s still a lot of pull for that.”
Ferguson, who played under the captaincy of Hardik Pandya in the IPL for Gujarat Titans, showered rich praise on the Indian T20I skipper.
“Hardik, I have a very high regard certainly from day one, playing underneath him in Gujarat (Titans), he is a clear leader within the group and demands the audience very quickly.
“But, at the same time, I guess, similar to Kane (Williamson) he has time for everyone in the group,” he stated.
“He’s done well with India. You can see his body language has been fantastic with the group and I think, he is an exceptional leader for the country. But certainly, I enjoyed my time playing under him.”
New Zealand suffered a 3-0 clean sweep at the hands of India in the ODI series and are currently tied 1-1 in the three-T20I series.
“Look, the one-day series was challenging, certainly the first ODI we had our chance to win it. And then, outplayed in the second one, and in the third one, we were sort of lined out well too. So although on paper it’s 3-0, I thought it was a pretty competitive series,” he said.
“And then, in the T20s, it’s been pretty even throughout. So always nice to come to a decider, particularly in a lovely stadium like this.”
The pitch dished out for the second T20I between India and New Zealand in Lucknow has become a topic of debate. It was a track where there was a lot of assistance for the spinners and batters from both sides couldn’t get going.
After India’s narrow six-wicket victory while chasing a paltry target of 100, skipper Hardik Pandya criticized the nature of the pitch, calling it a ‘shocker’.
Ferguson, however, feels low-scoring games are good for cricket since T20 is mostly dominated by batters.
“I bowled my four (overs) in the first game and I actually enjoyed bowling the cross seamers, sort of sped a little bit, got a bit of an extra pace and carry. To be honest, even Arshdeep bowling to me in the last game, there was a little bit of pace and carry, but clearly spin was the right option.
“We play a lot of T20s here in India, and around the world and we have those high-scoring games. And as a bowler, I think sometimes those sort of lower scores, probably not the 100, but lower score games actually are just as exciting and brings a good battle between bat and ball.
“So I think for the game, it’s great. Certainly I’m sure fans prefer the big, high- scoring matches but, as a cricket player, that can be pretty exciting.”
(With PTI Inputs)
