ENGLAND BEAT NEW ZEALAND TO WIN THE 2019 ICC WORLD CUP!
- Oakley Bromfield
- Aug 5, 2019
- 5 min read
Updated: Apr 6, 2021
- Nation unites as England lift the trophy for the first time in history.
- Kane Williamson named Player of the Tournament.
- Ben Stokes named Man of the Match in the final.
- One of the best sporting moments witnessed.
On Sunday 14th July 2019, England finished their World Cup trophy drought with a nail biting victory over New Zealand. This win was not only propelling for the England Cricket Board as they secured their first World Cup trophy, but for the sport itself, showcasing that cricket is in fact and exhilarating sport- despite what critics say. But it didn't come easy, oh no, England left it to the last ball of the 50th over to take it to a draw and therefore initiate a super over.
The match showcased the inspiring grit and determination from both sides throughout, as players fatigued but failed to slow down as their desire to win it was important- their professionalism was second to none. As I previously stated above, this was one, if not probably the best sporting moment I had ever witnessed live, the pure adrenaline and emotion when Jos Buttler took out the stumps on the final ball of the super over to beat the Kiwi's by 1 run was indescribable.
Match Report
Let's begin with England's bowling, where they started off well as Chris Woakes trapped New Zealand's opener Martin Guptill LBW, for 19 off 17 balls with New Zealand being 29-1 after the wicket. The Kiwi's maintained a steady run rate and pushed past 150 with 7 wickets in hand. However, it was Liam Plunkett's turn to sway the match back into England's hands as he grabbed the 5th wicket of Neesham at 173-5 in the 40th over. Latham steadied the New Zealand ship as he pushed on for 50, but unfortunately for them didn't reach it as he chipped a ball up to substitute Vince and walked back up to the pavilion, finishing on 47 off 55 balls, and New Zealand at 232-6. With only 2 overs left, the Kiwi's were determined to hit the 250 target, and with the power and pace of Jofra Archer, they would not reach it. Archer bowled Henry clean, and Santner down the other end of the wicket couldn't bring the All Blacks to the 250 they would've liked, they finished on a somewhat below par score of 242.
This meant that England would need just 4.84 runs per over, and with the long batting line-up, you'd have expect this to be a stroll in the park, oh how it wasn't! With the two power hitters opening the batting, Bairstow and Roy started off well as a pair, building a steady partnership. But it was broken by Henry in the 6th over, as Roy edged a full delivery. With Root coming in at 3 you'd have thought he could've settled the nerves and taken England to glory, but the Test captain failed and played a shot onto his own stumps off an in-form Ferguson. At 86-3, and Eoin Morgan on 9 off 21 balls, the ODI captain was building a shaky partnership with Ben Stokes, and in the 24th over, Morgan hooked a shot and was caught out. England were quickly becoming out of favour to win this final, but with Jos Buttler coming in, you could never write them off. Progressively, Jos and Ben mustered up a steady partnership and moved England up to 196-4. With needing a relatively straight-forward score of 46 from 32 balls England were looking good, until Buttler was caught out, leaving Stokes to finish the job. Chris Woakes came in and quickly got out, Liam Plunkett followed and provided a crucial blow to the All Blacks before Archer came in and was bowled out. With Stokes on strike and Rashid at the other end, England needed 15 off 4 balls, looking unlikely that they'd win. However Stokes dropped to one knee and annihilated a shot over the boundary for 6. The following ball provided to be a controversial one. The born Kiwi, Stokes, was running back to complete a double when the fielder threw the ball towards the stumps that actually hit Stokes' bat as he dived into the crease- the ball then went for a 4 meaning a total of 6. He then proceeded to drop his bat and apologise for the accident. Off the last ball Stokes needed to hit 2 for the win or 1 for the draw, which he pushed for as he battled the fatigue and went all out for the 2, but only managed to get the 1 as he was stumped by the bowler. A super over was needed to decide the winner of the ICC World Cup 2019.
The Super Over
With my palms sweating and knees shaking, I could hardly comprehend the great cricket I had just witnessed, but I had to prepare myself for the super over which was to come. So I resumed my position that was perched on the edge of my armchair and placed my trust in Stokes' and Buttler's batting skills for the 6 balls that would come. With Stokes' clearly suffering of fatigue I turned to my father who was next to me and exclaimed "whatever the result, this will go down as one of the greatest games in sporting history, we will never see anything like it again. Stokes is a hero". Stokes and Buttler didn't let us down and hit a total of 15, meaning the All Blacks would need 16 from 6 balls.
Archer would be the bowler, and he didn't start off great, bowling a wide in the first ball then conceding 8 off the next 2. At the point of needing 5 from 3 I thought it was all over, but Jofra bowled an inch perfect yorker and the Kiwi's proceeded to needing 2 off the last ball. With a tight field and the whole world watching, the pressure on the batsmen to secure New Zealand's first World Cup win was immense, and with Archer bowling another fantastic yorker, the ball was poked onto the leg side and time slowed down.
I could hear my heart beating in my chest. My mother and sister who enjoy cricket but don't understand how the runs work were just cheering for the England team but my father and I were cheering and shouting on behalf of not only England but the players, the fans, the coaches and the nation as a whole as we recognise how much this victory meant to us. As I mentioned it felt like time slowed down, everything was on this last ball and as Jos Buttler collected the throw and turned towards the stumps the whole house alongside the England nation burst with joy and thrill as we realised England had defeated New Zealand to claim our first World Cup trophy.
My father and I embraced in an emotional whirlwind of events, turned and looked at each other and gasped "that was the greatest sporting moment I have ever seen in my life".
I am grateful I was able to share that moment with my father and my family and congratulate England on an emphatic World Cup victory.
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