World Cup 2019 Final: England Vs New Zealand.

England Win Super Over Despite Tie, Lift World Cup.

It was a low-scoring, high-pressure narrative within a narrative in which one man watching from the sidelines four years ago, Jimmy Neesham, had the chance to become a hero but another, Ben Stokes, cleared of charges of affray less than a year ago, did. For New Zealand, there was the horror of experiencing what it feels like to finish second for the second time. This time would have hurt a lot more, because of how close they came. For England, there was redemption. Their four-year plan has paid off handsomely, they are a team transformed and now, they are fifty-over world champions. So yes, cricket has come home, but who exactly has it come home to?

Is it to the egg-and-bacon suits who are members of one of the most influential private clubs in world sport? Or to the members of every cricket club in this country, who commit themselves to match after match in the quest to keep the game alive and kicking? Is it to the more than four million British Asians, many of whom brought the World Cup alive with their support? Or to the neglected Afro-Caribbean community whose cricketing connections have been forgotten? Who can call England their home, especially in times like these?

Cricket has finally come home and how. It burst through the door, brushed past everyone who was waiting to greet it and boomed it’s worth to all within earshot. This crazy, beautiful, heartbreaking, exuberant, outrageous final had it all.

England won the World Cup for the first time in extraordinary circumstances, beating New Zealand by a tiebreaker of boundaries scored after the match was tied after regulation play and then the first Super Over in the tournament’s history. Heart-break for New Zealand — they finished runners-up in successive editions.

HIGHLIGHTS

  • The Super Over also ended in a tie, and England won their maiden World Cup on boundary count
  • Chasing 242-run target, England are bowled out for 241 in 50 overs
  • Chris Woakes (3/37) and Liam Plunkett (3/42) helped England restrict New Zealand to 241/8


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