Ferguson’s incredible 4-4-0-3 helps NZ exit T20 World Cup on a high – ESPNcricinfo

New Zealand 79 for 3 (Conway 35, Mitchell 12*, Morea 2-4) beat Papua New Guinea 78 (Amini 17, Ferguson 3-0, Southee 2-11, Boult 2-14) by seven wickets

Williamson and Daryl Mitchell then completed the formalities, scoring the remaining 25 runs from 18 balls to earn New Zealand their second win, consigning PNG to a fourth defeat.

Player of the Match Lockie Ferguson had a record outingICC/Getty Images

It began with a wicket: extra pace across Assad Vala that enticed a drive. There was even a bit of extra bounce which only served to make Mitchell's catch at a wide first slip that little bit tougher. From that point on, Ferguson was locked in.

Did he know a place in the record books was in the offing? Probably not. But the movement through the air and off the deck, not to mention the high pace that was always going to ask unanswerable questions to a limited PNG batting line-up, meant Ferguson was likely to emerge with extraordinary figures.

The 33-year-old was primarily over the wicket to the left-handed Bau, who entered the fray upon Vala's dismissal. Having switched to over the wicket midway through his second over (the seventh), Ferguson returned for the 12th from that angle and was immediately rewarded with a delivery into Amini's pads that skidded on with the angle so sharply it was initially given not out on the field.

DRS corrected that error before Ferguson took matters into his own hands by hitting Chad Soper's stumps for his third. Then came two leg byes down to deep third - which did not count against the bowler - and the final three deliveries, which were counted down by those in the commentary box, now fully invested in witnessing history. Kiplin Doriga's mistimed pull almost broke the streak - though it also could have resulted in a catch at mid-off - before the right-hander charged Ferguson's final delivery to no avail.

Ferguson looked a little sheepish as his team-mates filed over to congratulate him. Nevertheless, a forgettable T20 World Cup now has a memorable sidenote.

Chad Soper walks back after being cleaned upGetty Images

As valiant as PNG's displays have been at their second T20 World Cup, there is good reason to look at their batting and wonder what might have been. Particularly when Allen and Ravindra were snared early.

Signing off with a score of 78, following totals of 95 against Afghanistan and 77 versus Uganda, highlights the limitations of their batters. Even the 136 for 8 against West Indies looked light at the halfway stage, having faced 55 dot balls when setting that evening in Guyana.

Even discounting the 23 scoreless deliveries off Ferguson, they failed to find a run from the 58 balls delivered by the rest of the New Zealand attack. Conditions were not kind to batters throughout, particularly those taking guard against the new ball duo of Boult and Tim Southee on a new track with variable bounce, but more intent could have been shown.

Particularly against Mitchell Santner. The left-arm spinner floated plenty up but conceded just one boundary. Perhaps spooked by Bau lifting Santner into the hands of long on, it took until Santner's final delivery for someone to land one on him, as Doriga smeared a sweep shot to midwicket for four.

Of course, this match does not really qualify as a missed opportunity given New Zealand's undoubted superiority. But it did serve as a reminder of the shortcomings that cost them victory against Uganda and allowed West Indies off the hook.

Kabua Morea struck twice in his first three oversGetty Images

It was 15 days between appearances at this T20 World Cup for Morea. The left-arm seamer started against West Indies, arriving into the match with the expectation he would be a crutch for the attack over the coming fortnight. He ended up with figures of 0 for 30 from three overs, the last of which went for 13 as Roston Chase profited off a couple of full tosses to take the hosts over the line with an over to spare.

Morea spent the next two matches on the sidelines as PNG opted for a more spin-heavy attack. Conditions dictated as much, but Morea would have every reason to consider himself an unfortunate casualty of this shift having been the side's leading wicket-taker at the 2021 edition.

But here in Tarouba, he seized the opportunity to leave the World Cup on something of a high, returning home with figures of 2 for 4 from 2.2 overs. Allen's hot-headed hack gave him a wicket with the second ball. And having tied Ravindra down for the rest of that first over, the Kiwi No.3 greeted his reintroduction for the fifth over with a desperate charge and swipe that nestled into the hands of Kamea in the deep.

It was at this point that the rain made a return. New Zealand were 20 for 2, level with the five-over par score, which they passed when Williamson punched a single off his first ball. It was the only run off the over, with Morea boasting figures of 2 for 2 from his first two overs. As it turned out the rain did not stop play, either. While not as headline-grabbing as Ferguson's exploits, Morea's 11 dots against an engaging and far more equipped New Zealand batting line-up were equally impressive.

Vithushan Ehantharajah is an associate editor at ESPNcricinfo

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Ferguson's incredible 4-4-0-3 helps NZ exit T20 World Cup on a high - ESPNcricinfo