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Cricket World Cup 2019 | England defeat New Zealand on boundary countback to win the World Cup

New Zealand lost the most heartbreaking match in cricket history as England survived a stunning super over to claim its first World Cup.

Andrew McMurtryAndrew McMurtry
@AndrewMcMurtry
3 min read
July 15, 2019 - 7:42AM
England win the World Cup.
England win the World Cup.

England have won the most remarkable Cricket World Cup, claiming the title on a boundary countback after the sides couldn’t be split after 50 overs and a super over.

It was a final that had everything — tremendous fielding, a classic catch, bizarre reviews and more twists than a pretzel.

It had a super over thriller and the agony and ecstasy of the closest possible finish to the tournament.

New Zealand scored 8/241 which seemed below par with the slow and steady tactic that worked so well for the Kiwis against India in the semi-final seeming to leave the side short of a competitive score.

But the match went deep and with 10 overs remaining, England had six wickets in hand and needed 72 runs to win.

Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler took the match deep to the 45th over before Buttler was dismissed for 59 off 60 balls.

Stokes guided the side to the final overs where England needed 24 off 12 balls.

In the second last over, it seemed Stokes had holed out to the boundary with Trent Boult taking a catch but treading on the rope.

Disaster on the boundary for Trent Boult.
Disaster on the boundary for Trent Boult.

It meant six runs went to the score but 15 runs were still needed off the final over. Two dot balls made it 15 off the last four balls.

Stokes then slog-swept Boult for six leaving nine off three.

The next ball was smashed to the mid-wicket boundary but the return throw ricocheted off Stokes’ bat and went for four. It was a six-run ball. “I do not believe what I have just seen,” commentator Ian Smith said. “Never ever changed his line and he never looked at the ball, he had no idea.”

But the drama wasn’t over there.

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The next two balls were singles — both run outs as the batsmen attempted to make a second run — leaving England all out for 241 from their 50 overs. The result — a super over.

Ben Stokes dive which got the six runs.
Ben Stokes dive which got the six runs.

England sent out Stokes and Buttler, with the players hitting 15 runs from the over.

It meant New Zealand needed 16 from their over to claim their maiden World Cup title.

As Jofra Archer prepared to bowl the final over, Smith was blown away. “This is just the most amazing scene, it’s the biggest prize in cricket and if you paid 2000 pounds a ticket, I think you underpaid,” Smith said.

Archer bowled a wide with the first ball before a yorker went for two. Jimmy Neesham then hit a six to make it seven from four.

Two twos made it three from two balls before Neesham mis-hit a ball into his pads.

It left Martin Guptill needing two runs off the final ball. He could only manage one as England ran him out.

Because both sides had scored 15 runs in their super over the next tiebreaker was who had hit the most boundaries in the final.

England had 22 fours and two sixes plus two fours in the super over, while New Zealand had 14 fours and two sixes before a six in the super over.

Martin Guptill was inconsolable after the loss.
Martin Guptill was inconsolable after the loss.

Ben Stokes was named man of the match for his incredible 84 and he said “moments like that are what you live for”.

“All the hard work that has gone in over this four years are to get us where we are today,” he said. “This is where we aspire to be and we managed to come here and do it. To do it with such a good game — I don’t think there’ll be a better game in cricket history than that.

“In that last over, when the ball hit the bat and went for four, I apologised to Kane countless times for that, that’s not exactly how you want to do it.”

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson was named player of the tournament but said “it wasn’t meant to be”.

“The guys are shattered at the moment, it’s obviously devastating at the moment,” Williamson said. “They’ve played at such a high level and given us every chance to go on and win this comp but it’s pretty tough to swallow at this stage.”

The world erupted with the stunning result, with it being labelled the greatest game of all time.

England celebrate after the incredible result.
England celebrate after the incredible result.

The crazy finish also had plenty of people feeling for New Zealand, who lost the World Cup without losing the game.

New Zealand had to battle and scrape for their runs, fighting to 8/241 on the back of 55 off 77 balls for Henry Nicholls and 47 from 56 balls for Tom Latham.

England were ruthless, with Liam Plunkett’s 3/42 off his 10 and Chris Woakes’ 3/37 off nine overs helping to restrict the Kiwis to a score which was just two more runs than their semi-final.

England also struggled and were 4/86 when Eoin Morgan was caught on the boundary by Lockie Ferguson, who took an important diving catch.

Buttler and Stokes’ 110-run stand set up the incredible finish and English breakthrough.

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Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/sport/cricket/world-cup/cricket-world-cup-2019-england-defeat-new-zealand-on-boundary-countback-to-win-the-world-cup/news-story/1924156e23ba0e5f6cb307df301b42c3