The 24-year-old took five for 68 but his most important wicket was the last act in an exciting finish to his side's Plunket Shield match against Otago at the University Oval.
He bowled Derek de Boorder with a cracking yorker to seal a dramatic 10-run win.
It was a good comeback from the strike bowler. In his previous over, de Boorder had clouted consecutive sixes as the Otago gloveman attempted to hit the Volts to victory.
He whacked 81 from 76 deliveries and had some wonderful support from Craig Smith (29).
The pair put on 73 for the seventh-wicket and at drinks Otago needed a further 40 runs to secure victory.
The game was getting very tense and Otago cracked first.
Leg-spinner Tarun Nethula made the breakthrough immediately after the break, trapping Smith lbw.
Jacob Duffy could not contribute to the score which left No11 Jack Hunter trying to hold up one end while de Boorder attacked from the other.
It might not have come down to such a desperate situation for the home side had it not been for a wild delivery from Ferguson in the second over off the day.
He bowled a brutal beamer to Black Caps off-spinner Mark Craig.
The left-hander was fresh to the crease and tried to fend it off but was struck on the right hand and was forced to retire hurt.
He left the ground and went to hospital, where an X-ray revealed a broken bone.
He will have his hand in a cast for six weeks and will miss the remainder of Otago's Plunket Shield campaign.
"It is a terrible result because in the last month he has actually bowled really well,'' Otago coach Nathan King said.
"He had a rough innings in the second dig in Invercargill [last week] but he bowled well in the first innings and really well in the previous game.
"Just when he is starting to get back to his best, this occurs.''
Ferguson, who apologised for the slip, got a warning and the only other cost to Auckland was one run in the extras column.
It hardly seemed fair but King was not convinced it cost his side victory.
"It made it tough but Derek and Craig Smith had a good partnership and got us back in the game and to a point where things were pretty even again. We had a chance while those two were still going.''
That said, King wondered whether it was time for the ICC to review its stance on replacement players.
While teams can call in a substitute fielder, that player may not bat or bowl.
"If you have a guy that has been ruled out with an illegal delivery, I don't think you should necessarily punish that bowler because no-one does it on purpose.
"But the use of your 12th man for an injury like that is a good option, but the problem will be if your number nine or 10 gets hit in the hand, do they just go straight off and be replaced by an opening batsman?
"That is how you could take the Mickey out of that proposed change.''
In Christchurch, Canterbury blew a golden opportunity to keep in touch, failing to chase down 184 against Wellington at Hagley Oval.
In a chaotic encounter, a catastrophic collapse saw Wellington fall from 73 without loss to 136 all out, leaving Canterbury a session to chase down 184.
The target looked in sight at 51 for one after 13 overs, but a rash of wickets started a slump from which it could not recover, and was eventually bowled out for 129.
The win enabled Wellington to leapfrog Canterbury on the ladder, with the two sides joining Auckland as the only teams with a mathematical chance at the title.
In Hamilton, Northern Districst beat Central Districts by 115 runs. Chasing 498 for victory, Central managed a respectable 382, with Tom Bruce scoring 166.
