Injury to lead pacer puts New Zealand’s Champions Trophy plans in jeopardy

Black Caps quick Lockie Ferguson's fitness is in question after he suffered a hamstring injury on Wednesday during the ILT20 in the UAE, casting doubt over his availability for the upcoming Champions Trophy and the preceding tri-series in Pakistan.

Ferguson was unable to deliver the final ball of his spell while playing for the Desert Vipers in the T20 league and left the field due to the injury.

As a result, the 33-year-old pacer missed the Vipers’ next match, an Eliminator against the Sharjah Warriors.

Speaking at the post-match presentation, Ferguson addressed his injury, saying, "Just a little hamstring issue, unfortunate. Tough night; wish I could've bowled the last ball.”

New Zealand head coach Gary Stead confirmed that Ferguson has undergone scans to assess the extent of the injury and is awaiting further details.

"Lockie had a scan yesterday [Thursday] in the UAE," Stead said the day before the start of the tri-series, starting 8 February. "We've got the images here and [we are] waiting for our radiologist to give us a report on the extent of it.

“Small hamstring injury, by the look of it, so we're just waiting on a timeline of advice around that before we make a decision on whether Lockie travels here [Pakistan] or whether we do have to replace him for the Champions Trophy."

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New Zealand will kick off their Champions Trophy 2025 campaign against hosts Pakistan in Group A on 19 February in Karachi, followed by matches against Bangladesh on 26 February in Rawalpindi and India on 2 March in Dubai.