Lockie Ferguson, a fast bowler from New Zealand, acknowledged that he was "surprised" to witness MS Dhoni abandon deliveries during the 2019 World Cup semifinal match against India at Old Trafford.
In the semi-final match, Dhoni scored 50 (72) while chasing 240. Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja's partnership helped India reach 208/7 from 92/6 at one point. Since he and Jadeja were the last recognized hitters, Dhoni was careful in his attempt to conserve the wickets.
However, as the pressure increased in the final few overs, Jadeja was run out, and India fell behind by 18 runs, with New Zealand qualifying for the final.
“I can’t remember what they were needing to chase at the time, but I knew they had to score a few runs. The plan was to bowl and see if MS would undercut it, and he left it. So, I was surprised because, naturally, when you’re bowling, you’re trying to restrict runs, so it’s nice when a batter leaves it.
But I think the next over, the first ball, I tried again, and he just got it over the boundary for six. So, the plan almost worked the second time as well. But it was nice to get him out of that game and, of course, get across the line in the semi-final,” Ferguson told Crictracker.
Though MS Dhoni hit a half-century, his run-out ended all hopes of an Indian win, and it proved to be his final match for the Indian team, as he announced his retirement in 2020 during the Covid pandemic.
Ferguson also talked about Jasprit Bumrah’s workload management by the Indian team. He stated that such discussions were a ‘very good example’ for upcoming pacers.
“I think it’s great. I think it’s really important in this day and age. We seem to be playing a lot of cricket. Look, Jasprit Bumrah had a tough injury last year after the Test matches in Australia. Clearly, he was bowling a lot for his country, trying to win every game for his country. But it does just take its toll on the body. And I think just for that, it’s a very good example for up-and-coming fast bowlers," he added.
Lockie Ferguson has 99 ODI wickets and 64 T20I wickets for New Zealand, having made his debut in 2016.
