[Watch] Flashback to when England defeated New Zealand by the barest of all margins in the 2019 ICC CWC final
On this day (July 14) in 2019, England defeated New Zealand by the barest of all margins in a pulsating ICC Cricket World Cup final at Lord's. It was a match worthy of a World Cup final, keeping the anxious fans not just in the stands but all over the world on the edge of their seats until the very last moment.
Here's the video of those tense last-ball moments from the 2019 World Cup final:
New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson won the toss and opted to bat first. Although they were comfortably placed to post a big total at one stage with the scoreboard reading 103-1, wickets fell at regular intervals once Williamson returned to the pavilion. Opener Henry Nicholls top-scored for the Kiwis with 55.
Wicketkeeper-batter Tom Latham also contributed valuable runs for his side, scoring 47 off 56 balls which enabled the Blackcaps to finish at 241-8 in 50 overs.
Overall, they scored 16 boundaries (fours and sixes combined) during their innings. Chris Woakes and Liam Plunkett were the pick of the bowlers for England as they both took three wickets each.
England edged out New Zealand in the most dramatic finish to a World Cup final
Chasing the target of 242, England were reeling at 86-4 at one stage having lost the wickets of Jason Roy, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow and captain Eoin Morgan. From thereon, a crucial 110-run fifth-wicket partnership between Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes gave the English much-needed hope and brought them back into the contest.
Upon Buttler's dismissal, the remaining wickets fell quickly and Stokes remained the lone warrior battling it out in the middle. Eventually, the hosts were bowled out for 241 in 50 overs and managed to score 24 boundaries during their innings. Since the scores were tied, the game headed into a Super Over to decide the winner. England nominated Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler to face Trent Boult in the Super Over.
Batting first, they scored 15 runs off six balls which included two fours. Chasing 16 runs for their maiden World Cup tile, New Zealand scored 14 off the first five deliveries bowled by the fiery Jofra Archer, which included a six from James Neesham.
With two runs needed off the last ball, Martin Guptill and Neesham managed only a single, with the former getting run out dramatically by Jos Buttler. With the Super Over of the tied game also ending in a tie, England (26 boundaries) were declared winners of the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup defeating New Zealand (17 boundaries) based on the overall boundary count.