After rain had delayed the start of play it was New Zealand who won the toss and opted to bowl first, with Trent Boult making his last appearance at a T20 World Cup. But it was Boult’s opening partner Tim Southee who made the first breakthrough, dismissing opener Tony Ura for 1(2) in the second over.
And Ferguson made an instant impact as he removed PNG captain Assad Vala for 6 (16) with his first delivery as New Zealand dominated the powerplay, restricting their opponents to just 16/2 in the opening six overs.
Ferguson returned to end a decent partnership between Charles Amini (17 from 25) and Sese Bau (12 from 27), and he ended with his third wicket-maiden in his record-breaking performance.