New Zealand's Lockie Ferguson granted parental leave, set to miss Canada clash
New Zealand pacer Lockie Ferguson has officially been granted parental leave. He will be leaving New Zealand's camp in the T20 World Cup 2026 as he is expecting the birth of his first child.
In a major development for New Zealand Cricket, the side’s star bowler, Lockie Ferguson, has officially been granted parental leave. It is worth noting that Ferguson and his wife Emma are expecting the birth of their first child, and the same will see him travel back home in between the side’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaign.
Notably, Ferguson will not be available to play for New Zealand in the side’s last group stage game of the tournament against Canada. He will depart for home on February 15. Speaking on the same, New Zealand head coach Rob Walter came forward and gave his take on the matter.
"It's an incredibly exciting time for Lockie and Emma, and we're pleased that he'll be at home for such a special occasion. At this stage, we won't be replacing Lockie in the squad as the plan would be for him to return for the Super 8 phase of the tournament. But our travelling reserves Ben Sears and Cole McConchie are ready to be called into the squad should we need them,” Rob Walter was quoted as saying by Crocbuzz.
New Zealand sustain hefty defeat against South Africa
Speaking of New Zealand, the side took on South Africa in their most recent T20 World Cup clash. The two sides locked horns at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on February 14, and the clash began with New Zealand coming in to bat first.
Mark Chapman’s 48-run knock and Daryl Mitchell's scoring 32 runs saw the Black Caps post a total of 175 runs on the board in the first innings. However, South Africa’s batting attack proved to be too much to handle for the side.
Aiden Markram went unbeaten on a score of 86 runs in 44 deliveries. David Miller added 24* runs on the board as the Proteas chased down the target in 17.1 overs and won the game by 7 wickets.
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