"Expected most batters to..."- Lockie Ferguson responds to MS Dhoni's famous leave in ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 semi-final

Lockie Ferguson acknowledged that he bowled a poor delivery to MS Dhoni.

Kiwi pacer Lockie Ferguson has responded to his famous delivery against MS Dhoni during the semi-final clash between India and New Zealand in ICC Cricket World Cup 2019. The right-arm pacer mentioned that he expected most batters to hit such a poor delivery, which the former Indian wicket-keeper decided to leave.

Chasing a 240-run target in the encounter, India required 52 runs off 31 balls when Dhoni left the final delivery of Ferguson in the 45th over. The moment surprised the Kiwi pacer as the Men in Blue had a required rate of over 10 at that time. Ferguson’s shocked expression after the delivery is quite popular among cricket fans as it is one of the viral moments from the match.

In the 49th over, Dhoni slammed a similar delivery of Ferguson for a six over Mitchell Santner’s head at backward point. However, his efforts eventually went in vain as he failed to lead the Men in Blue to victory, losing his wicket through a run-out at a crucial moment in the same over.

I expected most batters to hit it for a four or six, but Dhoni left it: Lockie Ferguson

In an interview with The Quint, the BlackCaps pacer responded to the viral Dhoni’s leave in the encounter. Ferguson stated that he would expect most batters to smack such a poor delivery for a four or six. He also added that he planned to dismiss the Indian wicket-keeper with such a delivery, however, it backfired later.

“It was a sh*t ball, short and wide. I expected most batters to hit it for a four or six, but Dhoni left it. So the plan was to have him caught the next time, knowing he would play the shot – and he did. Unfortunately, in that game it just went over the fielder’s head. I think it was [Mitchell] Santner on the boundary,” he said.

“But Dhoni is very calculated, especially at the death. So it was nice for Gup (Martin Guptill) to run him out in that game,” the 34-year-old added.

Notably, Dhoni kept the winning hopes alive for India in the clash, after they lost six wickets within 100 runs on the board at the start. Eventually, the Men in Blue were bowled out for 221 runs, losing the encounter by a narrow margin of 18 runs.

With one boundary and a six, MS scored 50 runs off 72 balls in the match, which was his last international game. His run-out is considered one of the saddest moments in Indian cricket, as the defeat against New Zealand eliminated India from the tournament.

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