New Zealand pacer Lockie Ferguson recalled the occasion of the legendary Indian finisher batting against them during the high-octane semifinal game of the 2019 ODI World Cup in England. The renowned finisher MS Dhoni was run out in the 2019 World Cup semifinal in the over of Ferguson which completely turned the game in the favour of the Blackcaps.
MS Dhoni’s well-composed half-century in the semifinal helped India to recover from a top-order collapse. However, the run out of the Indian wicket-keeper batter in the penultimate over resulted in India’s loss in the game, which turned out to be MS Dhoni’s final game for India.
During the interview with Espncricinfo, Lockie Ferguson hailed the renowned Indian captain MS Dhoni for his finishing prowess in international cricket as he can turn the game on his own at any stage of the innings and said that the team enjoyed celebrations following a successful win over India on the reserve day and revealed the idea behind his bowling against the former Indian skipper in the high-pressure game in England.
“You can say all the adjectives and superlatives you want about Dhoni. He is clutch, and he turns up during the big moments, so when you see the back of him, it gives you some comfort, Amazing to finish that game mid-afternoon and enjoy the celebrations. It was pretty surreal at the time.”
“I know how strong he’s with the helicopter off his pads, so I thought he was letting deliveries go to let me bowl towards him. In the next over (49th), he was biding his time a little bit, and he hit that amazing shot just over the top of the point. That was a big boundary, and he managed to get it just over, so that forced me to go closer to him and get it up under his ribs,” Lockie Ferguson said.
For the past 10–12 years, MS Dhoni has offered the best of his services. Whether it comes to batting, keeping wickets, or leading the team, he has excelled in nearly every facet of the game but missed out on the opportunity to finish the game for India against Blackcaps in the crucial game of the World Cup.
Martin Guptill Always Seems To Do Something Special Off My Bowling – Lockie Ferguson
Lockie Ferguson recalled the sensational fielding effort of the New Zealand opener Martin Guptill, which ultimately turned out to be a big moment of the game, and praised Guptill as one of the best fielders in the nation and asserted that he consistently pulls off something special with his bowling in international cricket.
“He tried to dab it down and come back for two. Guppy (Martin Guptill) didn’t quite have the tournament that he dreamt of, but, I think, for that moment, he was more than world-class. I was so happy for him. He’s one of the great fielders, and the thing I love about Guppy is: he always seems to do something special off my bowling,” Lockie Ferguson concluded.
Later this year in India, New Zealand will compete for their first ODI World Cup victory. The Kiwis have consistently performed well in ICC white ball tournaments, making it to the finals of the ODI World Cup in 2015 and the T20 World Cup in 2021, and will look to put up a fine show in the mega event in 2023.