IPL 2020: ‘My bowling mirrors him in a way when it comes to aggression,’ says Lockie Ferguson on KKR coach Brendon McCullum

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) fast bowler Lockie Ferguson revealed that he is inspired by the aggressive mindset of coach Brendon McCullum. The Kiwi pacer also mentioned that he enjoyed the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) after McCullum set it ablaze in the first match itself.

Ferguson heaped praise on the former New Zealand captain for bringing aggression into the game, saying that he is looking forward to playing under McCullum’s coaching.

“Well, I loved watching the first season when Brendon was smashing it all over the park. We didn’t know how big IPL was potentially going to be,” Ferguson was quoted as saying by kkr.in.

Brendon McCullum smashed an unbeaten 158 off just 73 balls in the first match of IPL 2008 against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) – a record that stood for five years, until Gayle scored 175 not out in IPL 2013. Even though KKR finished sixth that season, McCullum’s swashbuckling innings made the cash-rich league an instant hit.

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“In my international career, I just missed out on having him as my captain...He is one of those New Zealanders who played the game the way he thought it should be played. He was always super aggressive and I guess my bowling mirrors him in a way when it comes to aggression. So yeah, I am thoroughly looking forward to playing under him as coach,” Ferguson, who has picked 69 wickets in 37 ODIs, said.

While McCullum played his last international match in February 2016, Ferguson made his ODI debut in December that year. But, the express pacer said that he has bowled to him a few times in the nets.

‘I couldn’t get over the noise’: Ferguson on his first IPL season

Ferguson has picked up five wickets in nine IPL matches (Image Credits: Sportzwiki)

Ferguson, who made his IPL debut for the Rising Pune Supergiants in 2017, said he was taken aback by the capacity crowd and that he had a hard time in getting over the noise.

“I think it was difficult to measure for a Kiwi because here for Black Caps, a crowd of 20,000 is a big crowd. So, my first season at Pune in front of a sold-out crowd was extremely difficult because I couldn’t get over the noise. Seeing it on TV is one thing but being out there on the field in the IPL is a whole different ball game,” Ferguson added.

Ferguson would be looking to add to his tally of five wickets in Brendon McCullum’s first coaching stint at the IPL. Interestingly, he won his first trophy two days back when the Trinbago Knight Riders became CPL 2020 champions.