On this day: When the World Cup did 'come home' for England in 2019
England may be enduring an agonizing wait for an international major football trophy to 'come home', but their cricket team brought people joy on this day two years ago when it lifted the ODI World Cup for the first time in the country's history.
In one of the most dramatic finishes to an ODI match; let alone a World Cup final, England defeated New Zealand to get their hands on the coveted trophy. It was an astonishing end to a thoroughly competitive match as New Zealand stood at the receiving end of a heartbreaking loss.
Kane Williamson's side didn't lose by runs, but by a rule which would later be abolished by the International Cricket Council. After the scores were tied following the completion of fifty overs as well as the Super Over, England won the trophy due to a superior boundary count.
England had reached the final after beating Australia, while New Zealand ended India's run in the semifinals of the tournament.
New Zealand had won the toss, electing to bat. It was Liam Plunkett, displaying the knack of picking up key wickets at crucial stages of the game, dismissing Henry Nicholls (55) and Kane Williamson (30) which put England in command. Tom Latham played a crucial role in the end (47) as New Zealand scored 241/8 in 50 overs.
In the chase, England's two poster-boys throughout the World Cup campaign, Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler stabilised a seemingly sinking ship as the two forged 112-run partnership after the side lost four wickets within 84 runs. Lockie Ferguson earned the breakthrough for New Zealand, dismissing Buttler on 59 to trigger a lower-order collapse before a dramatic final over led to a first-ever Super Over in the history of the World Cup finals.
A mistimed shot towards deep midwicket from Stokes was followed by Martin Guptill's overthrow being ricocheted off the English all-rounder's bat. Result? Six runs for England. With three needed over the next two deliveries, England faced two successive run-out dismissals, while adding only two more runs to the total. Stokes remained unbeaten on 84.
It was Boult again, and the two poster-boys entered the crease for England, too in the Super Over. They added 15 runs in six deliveries, hitting a four each. Jofra Archer, who had terrorised the batsmen with his searing pace throughout the tournament, was asked to defend 16 runs in the Super Over. With two runs needed to win, it all came down to the final delivery again - this time, the composure of Jason Roy and Jos Buttler put down Martin Guptill as England registered a thrilling win despite a tied game. The final scorecard, according to the boundary countback rule, stood at 26-17 in favour of the hosts.
And so, like many thrilling games such as these, the fans were left to ponder on the what-ifs. What if Martin Guptill had made the crease? What if his throw didn't ricochet off Ben Stokes' bat?
It may be a heartbreaking loss for New Zealand, but Kane Williamson's side embraced a chance at redemption and lifted the inaugural World Test Championship mace in June earlier this year, defeating India in the final at Southampton.
