New Zealand speedster Lockie Ferguson delivered a record-breaking spell in the ICC T20 World Cup, setting the benchmark for the most economical performance in both the tournament's history and T20I cricket overall.
During the group stage match against Papua New Guinea, Ferguson bowled his full quota of four overs, taking three wickets without conceding a single run.
This unprecedented feat surpasses the previous record held by his teammate Tim Southee, who had achieved figures of 3/4 in four overs against Uganda in their previous T20 World Cup encounter on June 14. Ferguson's remarkable performance also eclipses the T20I record held by Canada's Saad Bin Zafar, who took two wickets for zero runs in four overs against Panama in 2021.
In the match, New Zealand won the toss and chose to bowl first. Papua New Guinea struggled against the Kiwi bowlers, with Charles Amini (17), Norman Vanua (14), and Sese Bau (12) being the only batsmen to reach double figures. The team was bowled out for 78 in 19.4 overs.
Alongside Ferguson's historic spell, Tim Southee (2/11), Trent Boult (2/14), Ish Sodhi (2/29), and Mitchell Santner (1/17) also contributed significantly to the bowling effort.
Despite this victory, New Zealand sits in third place in Group C with one win and two losses to the West Indies and Afghanistan. This win allows the Kiwis to salvage some pride from what has been their most disappointing World Cup campaign across both the 50-over and 20-over formats in years.
