England won their first World Cup after edging out New Zealand in a super over in a nail-biting classic of a final at Lord’s on Sunday. New Zealand won the toss and opted to bat first with Henry Nicholls top-scoring on 55 as Chris Woakes and Liam Plunkett both took three wickets apiece to help restrict the Black Caps to 241-8 from their 50 overs.
Chasing 242 to win, Stokes was unbeaten on 84 as he put on 110 with Jos Buttler (59) after England fell to 86-4. Needing 15 runs from the final over, Stokes smashed a six and then sensationally picked up four overthrows when a throw from deep hit his bat as he dived towards his crease and rolled out to the boundary.
With two runs required from the final ball, Stokes fell just short as Mark Wood was run out going back for the decisive second so the scores were tied on 241. A super over was required to decide a winner with Stokes and Buttler hitting an impressive 15 from the bowling of Trent Boult.
In response Jimmy Neesham hit 13, including a six from Jofra Archer’s third ball of the over, before leaving Martin Guptill with two to get from the final ball. He managed a single but fell short on the return as Butter collected Jason Roy’s throw and removed his bails with the scores again level on 15.
But as England hit the most boundaries throughout the final, they knew that was enough to end their long wait to become world champions. A delirious Morgan said: “There wasn’t a lot in that game. I’d like to commiserate Kane Williamson and his team. The fight they show is worth aspiring to, the example they set is commendable to all.
It was a hard, hard game where people found it hard to score. “This has been a four-year journey, we have developed a lot. We find it hard to play on wickets like that and today was about getting over the line. Sport is tough at times. I was being cooled down by Liam Plunkett, which is not a good sign! I was up and down like a yo-yo. “We are delighted that we are lifting the trophy.”
