ILT20 2025: Lockie Ferguson hails bowling show after win against Abu Dhabi Knight Riders

Desert Vipers captain Lockie Ferguson lauded the bowling battery of his team after their seven-wicket win against Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the ongoing International League T20 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi on Sunday.

The Vipers restricted the Knight Riders to 166-5 after Ferguson decided to bowl first. Mohammad Amir, Luke Wood and Lockie Ferguson collectively conceded 82 runs in the 12 overs they bowled and the trio also bagged two wickets.

On the other hand, Daniel Lawrence scored a match-winning knock of 70 runs off just 39 balls with the help of seven fours and three sixes. Sam Curran, who was expensive with the ball, scored a fine fifty off 37 balls.

Lockie Ferguson said in the post-match presentation, “Nice to get across the line, good toss to win. Was doing a little bit up top. Nice to have some bowlers who can extract stuff with the new ball. Fan of a pitch with some pace on it. We’ve got such an experienced bowling attack, plans were clear, they bowled really well today.”

Meanwhile, Daniel Lawrence also credited the bowling unit for their good work and also hailed the team’s think tank.

He said after bagging Player of the Match, “I think the situation was nice to come into, knowing I had to give myself a little time. Lockie did really well, we’ve got a really experienced bowling attack. The plans were clear and we executed them really well. From the hotel to how the coaches treat you, probably the most professional setup I’ve been a part of.”

On the other hand, Abu Dhabi Knight Riders captain Sunil Narine feels they did well to post 166 runs on the board after a tough Powerplay, in which they lost two quick wickets and could only manage 29 runs.

He said after the loss, “We did pretty well while batting, was a tough powerplay. We’d have taken that score anyday. The key was the first six, when the ball stopped swinging and seaming it became easier. Once you saw off the new ball, it was a total you could get. Probably a bit more pace with it being a day game. Bravo has a lot of knowledge, you can have all the plans but you also need to execute.”