Lockie Ferguson bowled the most economical spell in T20I history as New Zealand thrashed Papua New Guinea by seven wickets in their inconsequential Group C World Cup match in Tarouba (Trinidad and Tobago) on Monday.
Ferguson joined Canada skipper Saad Bin Zafar as only the second bowler in T20I history to bowl each of the allotted four overs as maidens and return figures of 4-4-0-3. Zafar recorded 4-4-0-2.
After dismissing PNG for a for a mere 78 runs, the Kiwis, propelled by opener Devon Conway's 35 off 32 balls, were over the line in 12.2 overs.
The Black Caps lost Finn Allen (0) and Rachin Ravindra (6) cheaply at the start of their chase, Kabua Morea (2/4) taking both wickets.
Morea did a commendable job, having Allen (0) caught behind off the second delivery of the chase.
He also had Ravindra (6) caught by Semo Kamea at deep midwicket in the third over.
Conway struck three sixes and two fours in his 32-ball 35 before being trapped leg before by Kamea in the tenth over.
Skipper Kane Williamson (18 not out) and Daryl Mitchell (19 not out) finished the job with 46 balls to spare.
Earlier, the Kiwis were successful in keeping the PNG batters quiet and pinned to their respective ends for most of their innings, which folded in 19.4 overs, the first half witnessing the ball racing to the ropes only four times.
Trent Boult (2/14), playing his last T20 World Cup match, began with a two-run first over, but it was Tim Southee (2/11) who drew first blood, getting PNG opener Tony Ura caught at deep backward point.
While there was no success for Boult in terms of wickets with the new ball, Ferguson struck with his first delivery, having PNG skipper Assad Vala caught at wide first slip for six.
Ferguson continued to trouble the opposition batters to such an extent that PNG couldn't score a run off his first three overs.
The right-arm pacer had further success when he pinned Charles Amini (17) in front of the wickets successfully for the third wicket.
Mitchell Santner (1/17) cut short the progress of Sese Bay (12), having him caught by Finn Allen at long-on after luring the batter to dance down the track and hit him, but the connection was improper.
Having not conceded a run yet, Ferguson found an inside edge off Chad Soper's (1) bat crash into the wickets after he recklessly dangled his bat, which came down awkwardly away from his pads.
Ferguson finished his spell without conceding a run and thus joined Zafar, the first bowler to bowl all four maidens, in November 2021 against Panama in T20 World Cup Americas Region Qualifier.
Boult returned to the attack and picked his first wicket of the contest, cleaning up Hiri Hiri (7) while Southee bagged another in the next to remove wicketkeeper-batter Kiplin Doriga (5) out of the equation.
Having toiled for success in his first three overs, Ish Sodhi (2/29) grabbed a couple of wickets to wrap up the PNG innings in the last over.
