Lockie Ferguson insists New Zealand’s tough road ahead in their World Cup semi-final against in-form India in Mumbai on Wednesday is of no concern because “we all start from ground zero again”.
Tournament hosts India have performed brilliantly in the 10-team competition, winning all nine of their group matches as they lift their third World Cup title and second on home soil after their 2011 final victory over Sri Lanka in Mumbai.
In contrast, New Zealand won their opening four games of the round-robin stage, but lost the next four and then the pool play ended with a five-wicket victory over Sri Lanka.
The Blackcaps may not have yet won the Men’s One Day International World Cup, but they have proven to be good performers in the tournament, reaching the finals in both 2015 and 2019, with Wednesday’s match the 13th edition of the competition. This is their ninth semi-final appearance in history.
“I think we had some close games which did not go our way,” New Zealand fast bowler Ferguson told reporters at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on Monday.
“And rain-affected (where New Zealand were beaten by Pakistan on DLS method despite scoring over 400).”
He added, “But I think from our perspective those nine games have put us in this position and we all start from scratch again. So come Wednesday, it will be a good challenge.”
