Keeping a aside, Edgbaston 1999 and 2005, Johannesburg’s 434, even the two drawn Tests, none were in a league of their own compared to the drama of the 2019 World Cup final. It was a game like no other, one where neither team should have lost and effectively, neither did. Following a nail-biting 50 overs, the scores were levelled. Then the Super Over was also tied.
The trophy went to England, but only because they had hit more boundaries throughout the match, a heartbreaking twist that left New Zealand agonizingly close to their first-ever World Cup win.
#Onthisday in 2019, England won the World Cup for the first time in an unforgettable game at Lord's pic.twitter.com/QD31kXUiin
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) July 14, 2023
New Zealand played with incredible skill and heart, but England kept pace with them step for step. Ben Stokes was the hero of the hour, keeping England’s hopes alive with an unbeaten 84 under enormous pressure. Although he was almost exhausted physically, Stokes stepped out again for the Super Over and hammered nine runs off the first four deliveries, leaving a target that was just a fraction beyond New Zealand’s reach.
On the New Zealand side, Martin Guptill, who had had problems with his batting throughout the tournament so far, was partnered by Jimmy Neesham during the Super Over. But their desperate bid to win was foiled when Guptill was just short of the crease on a wild last run.
The drama was added to by such moments as Trent Boult’s sensational final over. He masterfully engineered two run-outs off the penultimate two balls of the innings and the Super Over, and took an awe-inspiring catch at the boundary rope during the 50th over only for it to be called a four when he stepped on the rope. Meanwhile, Neesham, having taken three wickets for the game, came back aggressively to make 14 runs of the first five balls of the Super Over.
Then there was 24-year-old Jofra Archer, a cricketer who had only recently become eligible to play for England a few months prior to the competition. Archer was tasked with the pressure cooker bowler of bowling the Super Over and he came through, winning England their first World Cup since 44 years ago.
