New Zealand head coach Gary Stead hopes that the fast bowler Lockie Ferguson will be fit and able to play in the forthcoming white-ball series against Bangladesh at home in March 2021.
Ferguson has been out of action since December 2020 after being diagnosed with a stress fracture shortly after the T20I series against West Indies, in which he claimed a career-best 5 for 21 in Auckland and ahead of the home series against Pakistan earlier this year.
He was expected to return after 4-6 weeks, but it has been almost 3 months since the right-arm fast-bowler last made an appearance for the Black Caps against the West Indies.
New Zealand and Bangladesh will play three ODIs and as many as T20Is from March 20 to April 1 and the head coach was hopeful of the speedster’s recovery in time for the home series.
Stead told reporters in Wellington: “At this stage, he will meet up with the team around the time of the one-day series to put finishes touches on things and make sure the intensity is where we want it to be then if all goes well he'll be available for the Bangladesh T20 series.”
He signed off by saying, “You never know how people react to it [the injury], but in Lockie's advantage he's strong, he's fit and he works very hard at that S&C [strength and conditioning] area. Hopefully all those things will have helped him in a quick recovery.”
Stead revealed that Ferguson will play a couple of club cricket matches this month in order to assess his recovery before he links up with the New Zealand squad before the home ODIs against Bangladesh.
(With ANI Inputs)
