Five runs needed off two balls: 'Lockie Ferguson channels his inner Trent Boult' in dramatic finish - VIDEO

Trent Boult had put up a similar performance for Northern Brave, smashing Ed Nuttall over deep mid-wicket for a maximum.

With nine needed off the final over, Lockie Ferguson held his nerves to smash a maximum on the penultimate delivery and guide Auckland to a four-wicket Super Smash win over Central Districts. Chasing Districts' total of 168 for 5 in Palmerston North, Auckland Aces were bolstered by the knock of Martin Guptill, who smashed 79 not out from 58 balls.

Lockie Ferguson(Twitter)

At one point during the run-chase, Auckland needed 100 runs from 54 balls. Guptill and Robert O’Donnell, who scored 34, had a partnership of 70 to keep their side in the contest. It all boiled down to Auckland needing 33 runs from 18 balls. Ben Horne chipped in with a blistering nine-ball 27 before Ferguson flicked one down the fine leg and zipped the win for Auckland.

Earlier, Trent Boult had put up a similar performance for Northern Brave, smashing Ed Nuttall over deep mid-wicket for a maximum when his side needed six runs off the final delivery.

The official handle of Spark Sport took to Twitter and posted a video of Ferguson smashing Joey Field for a six. “Lockie Ferguson channels his inner Trent Boult,” it read.

Considering his ability to contribute with both bat and ball, Ferguson could gather hefty bids for the upcoming IPL 2022 mega-auction. The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) player had bagged 13 wickets from eight games last season but was not retained by the two-time IPL champions.

The 30-year-old Ferguson comes with has experience under his belt, having played 90 T20s and scalped 99 wickets. In his Indian Premier League (IPL) stint, the Kiwi seamer has 24 wickets to his name in 222 games. 

Being a consistent performer for KKR since the last three editions, Ferguson could be roped in again by the Kolkata outfit. The New Zealander had recently expressed his desire to extend his association with the franchise.

“Going into the next auction… Of course, I would love to go back to KKR. I love playing for them as well as the group of guys, the coaches... (head coach) Brendon McCullum was exceptional… and the way the franchise is run, that too is exceptional," Ferguson had told The Telegraph in an interaction facilitated by Amazon Video Prime.

“The three years I had at KKR was a really great learning experience for me as a player and I learnt dealing with the kind of pressure that I wasn’t used to handling as an overseas pro. So I developed a lot as a player and felt that the IPL helped me do that."

"I would be really happy if KKR put the pedal up for me. But at the same time, we all know how auctions work. Of course, two new teams add a bit of a twist to it, so it’s going to be a tough evening," the seamer had added.