World Cup 2019: 5 defining moments from the tournament
On Sunday, the Cricket World Cup came to an end with a quite thrilling conclusion at Lord’s, as England beat New Zealand in perhaps the greatest game of white-ball cricket ever played.
Sunday’s final saw a tie, as both sides finished with 241 runs, before the Super Over, the first-ever played in ODIs, also ended in a tie. England, however, took the title on the basis that they had scored more boundaries during the game.
It was an exciting end to an excellent tournament, which ended with England bringing home their first title, four years after they were humiliated in Australia. In the years since, they have revolutionized the way they play white-ball cricket, and it has most certainly paid off.
There was disappointment for some, however. Pakistan and the West Indies were both dumped out in the group stage after putting in some poor performances, despite some impressive individual showings.
For India and Australia, both will have expected more from the tournament, particularly after finishing first and second in the group stage respectively. Instead, both were knocked out having put in below-par performances in their semi-finals.
But the World Cup was eventually decided by a few key moments during the competition. Here are the five defining moments over the course of the tournament.
#1 Boult denies Brathwaite rescue effort
It was a memorable campaign for New Zealand, who reached the final for the second time in succession, and were desperately unfortunate to lose out to England at Lord’s.
During the group stage, they had a number of tight games, with one of the best coming against the West Indies at Old Trafford. It looked like the game was going New Zealand’s way, and quite comfortably, in the second innings, when chasing 292 to win, West Indies found themselves reduced to 164-7.
Yet, the West Indies hit back. Carlos Brathwaite, a man who has been weighed down by expectation since his heroics against England in the 2016 World Twenty20, played one of the innings of the tournament, forming partnerships with Kemar Roach, Sheldon Cottrell and Oshane Thomas. He went on to register his first ODI hundred in the penultimate over, leaving his side just six runs short of the target.
Attempting to win the game with a single blow, he clubbed Jimmy Neesham over mid-wicket, only to be caught by Trent Boult on the boundary. Had it carried over the rope, the Windies would have still had a chance of qualifying, and New Zealand may have fallen short of the top four.
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