ICC World Cup Final: England Beat New Zealand
It is England’s first ever Cricket World Cup and follows final defeats in 1979, 1987 and 1992.
Ben Stokes was England’s hero with the bat after he bludgeoned 15 from the final over of the regular innings, including a bizarre six by way of four overthrows. He was made man of the match.
It was the mother of all thrillers, a heart-stopping drama so intense that you could feel the hallowed pavilions at the Lord’s tremor in agitation. England won the World Cup by the faintest possible margin – the number of boundaries hit by the two teams. England had 26 against 17 by New Zealand.
England’s captain Eoin Morgan said: “It’s been an absolutely incredible journey … I still can’t quite believe it.”
The drama which unfolded here on Sunday has no parallels in cricket, and surely very few in any other sport too. The match ended in a tie after both teams had batted their 50 overs – New Zealand getting 241/8 and England responding with 241. The Super Over, in operation for the first time in a World Cup final, also finished on a tie, both teams scoring 15 each, which led to the count of boundaries.
New Zealand needed two off the last ball of the Super Over being bowled by Jofra Archer. Martin Guptill pushed the ball towards midwicket and took off for two. But the throw from Jason Roy was good and Jos Buttler broke the stumps with Guptill well short to ignite unprecedented frenzy at the Lord’s.
England captain Eoin Morgan had on Saturday predicted that the final at Lord’s was going to be a scrappy battle. It turned out to be much more than that. After New Zealand had fought their way to a challenging total on a tricky pitch, the underdogs had England in big trouble before Stokes and Buttler did the rescue act.
The Kiwis did not give anything away and were worthy rivals. It was heartbreaking for them to lose a match like that but they made many more fans with their gritty display.
New Zealand’s captain Kane Williamson, who was made player of the tournament, said: “Just gutted … There’s a lot of disappointment.”
Source: Input From Agencies
