An analysis about Lockie Ferguson: A mobile app behind his express deliveries

KKR’s Lockie Ferguson is being congratulated by Captain Eoin Morgan after he picked a wicket against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Image Source: BCCI/IPL

Xtra Time Web Desk: New Zealand fast bowler Lockie Ferguson produced one of the most sensational debuts of this season’s Indian Premier League (IPL 2020). The fast bowler of Kolkata Knight Riders almost single handedly won the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday. In his four overs spell Ferguson gave away only 15 runs and picked 3 wickets. But most importantly his bowling in the Super Over where he just gave away only two runs set the win for the Knights. He bowled SRH Captain David Warner with his first delivery and followed it up with a perfect yorker in the third delivery that knocked the middle stumps to send Abdul Samad back. The BlackCaps bowler grabbed the opportunity with both hands after warming the benches in the dugout for the first half of the tournament.

There is a fascinating story behind the rise of Lockie Ferguson as a fast bowler. He is born in a sporting family and that has been a huge positive in shaping his career as a cricketer. His father a rugby player, mother a sprinter and brother a fast bowler. It was his brother from whom he took an inspiration regarding fast bowling. Ferguson did admit that his brother was better than him and he took inspiration from that to go one step ahead.

Talking about his express quick deliveries, all credit goes to his brother Mitch, who is also a software developer. Mitch developed an app called Machineroad, which clocks the speed of a delivery at the touch of a fingertip. The free beta app is easy to handle as all you need is to take your phone down to the nets, put it on a tripod, set it up, then you can measure ball speed, ball tracking, pitch mapping, good lengths, bowling loads… there are so many analytics for bowlers on there. The app was nearly seven years in the making after the Ferguson siblings got talking at the nets then built up some concepts, having grown up being ultra-competitive in the backyard in Auckland.

Mitch Ferguson has developed an app named machineroad . Image Source: stuff.co.nz

Bowling quick was nothing new to the younger Ferguson brothers as he first came into limelight when he clocked 132 kmh in the finals of a national schools fast bowling competition. He was 16 years old then. The Auckland Grammar school kid once caught the eyes of all the spectators during the lunch break of a test against England at Wellington’s Basin Reserve, when he bowled really fast. 

Lockie clocked 154.9 kmh during an ODI against Bangladesh in Napier last year. He has been working really hard with BlackCaps bowling coach Shane Jurgensen during the lockdown. He used to bowl 12-15 overs a week – only off a short run though as he tested the app and refined it. It’s been a long process but it helped him tick over in lockdown which was good. And the results are for everyone to see what he can do with a ball in his hand.

So, hopefully the KKR management will rely on Lockie Fergusson ahead of the more accomplished foreign recruits as he can turn out to be the biggest game changer.