Cricket: Adam Milne and Lockie Ferguson may form fast-paced Black Caps duo at ODI World Cup

Adam Milne celebrates the wicket of Shikhar Dhawan at Hagley Oval. Photo / photosport.nz

When the Black Caps peered through the clouds that overshadowed the ODI series against India, they would have spied a bright glimmer of optimism ahead of next year’s World Cup.

Adam Milne, while recording his second-best figures of 3-57 in the third match at Hagley Oval, issued a timely reminder of his undoubted talents and offered an enticing possibility for the New Zealand attack.

The 30-year-old has endured a rotten run of injury luck since making his ODI debut a decade ago. Milne has managed only 42 matches in his career - by way of comparison, Trent Boult made his 50-over debut four months earlier and has racked up 99 ODIs.

But with doubts surrounding when Boult will reach his ton, and with Milne providing an element of extra pace to rival any bowler in the world, the rain-disrupted Indian series wasn’t all doom and gloom.

Milne, playing in his first ODI series in five years, bowled his full allotment in Auckland and Christchurch, matches that doubled as the first and second time he was in the same team as fellow speedster Lockie Ferguson.

Coach Gary Stead said after his side’s 1-0 triumph there was “definitely a chance” the duo could play together at the World Cup. And given the way they light up the radar gun, as shown by a recent statistical analysis, it’s easy to understand why that prospect so appeals.

Of all bowlers with a minimum of 500 balls recorded across formats with at least one in 50 quicker than 90 mph (144.8 kph), Ferguson and Milne rank second and third in percentage of deliveries to crack that barrier.

While Australian Shaun Tait breached 90mph with an exceptional 52.7 per cent of his balls, Ferguson (36 per cent) and Milne (34.1) sat clear of imposing contemporary paceman like Mitchell Starc (22.5), Jofra Archer (21.6) and Pat Cummins (14.7).

That marked the Kiwi pair as two of the consistently fastest bowlers in world cricket – and emphasised what a weapon a fully-fit Milne could be next year in India.

“There is definitely a chance that could happen,” Stead said of Milne and Ferguson spearheading the New Zealand World Cup attack. “There’s a lot of water to go under the bridge before then, so we’ll just have to see how it plays out, but I think it’s exciting when you look through the bowling resources that we have.

“[The Indian series] was pleasing for Adam and for his own mental thinking around where he’s at. I hope he’s really clear that ODI cricket it still a big part of his future as well.

“Certainly it’s exciting when you put him and Lockie in the same team and bowling at a very good pace. You can really keep pressure on teams.”

Milne’s performance was especially impressive – and unfortunately indicative of his career – when considering he was playing through a minor hamstring injury. Stead said the bowler first felt “a little bit sore” in his third over but still sent down his 10 in succession, snaring three big scalps in Shikhar Dhawan, Shubman Gill and Suryakumar Yadav.

That kind of resilience has been necessary for Milne to acquire, given how severely injuries have impinged on his abilities. The games against India were his first ODIs since October 2017, having most recently been forced to withdraw after one net session on the Black Caps’ limited-overs tour to Europe earlier in the year.

If he can stay on the field – and considering the New Zealand arsenal against India was missing the injured Kyle Jamieson – then Milne will be an invaluable addition to a pace-bowling stocks that show there is life after Boult.

“The journey’s been a tough one at times but it’s great to see him back out on the park,” said skipper Kane Williamson. “To have a little bit of a niggle but to push through and make a really valuable contribution for the team was fantastic.”