 | « Back to article | Print this article |
The 2019 World Cup in England had a mix of high-octane encounters. From Jofra Archer's bouncers to Mitchell Starc's yorkers, and Rohit Sharma's hundreds to Virat Kohli's antics, the fans devoured them all.
But the final at Lord's was the mother of all climaxes.
Let’s look back at the England vs New Zealand final on July 14, 2019 regarded as the greatest One-Day match of all times.
New Zealand came to the final by beating India by 18 runs in the first semi-final, but England's momentum after beating Australia by eight wickets was unmatched.
On paper as well, the hosts looked impressive, and with home teams having won the 2011 and the 2015 World Cups as well, England were hot favourites to win their first 50-overs World Cup title.
New Zealand batted first and could only manage 241 from their 50 overs.
In reply, England struggled to reach the total with New Zealand's bowlers doing well in the closing stages as the match ended in a tie.
England were all out for 241 on the last ball of the 50th over, chasing New Zealand's 241 for eight.
The hosts scored 14 in the last over of their innings but Mark Wood was run out seeking the second run that would have won it for the hosts.
If that was not enough, both teams then ended up on equal scores in the Super Over as well!
Ben Stokes, who finished on 84 not out, came back for the Super Over with Jos Buttler amid scenes never before seen at the home of cricket.
New Zealand needed two off the last ball of Jofra Archer's over but Martin Guptill was run out coming back for the second run and England triumphed due to hitting more boundaries on the day.
Never before had a World Cup final been decided on the boundary count rule by the margin of 26-17 in England’s favour.
New Zealand were at a loss for words. They lost their second consecutive World Cup final.
England became only the second team, after Pakistan, to win a World Cup despite losing three matches in the tournament. Stokes was named the Player of the World Cup final while Kane Williamson walked away with the Player of the Series.