England made World Cup history on Sunday as they brilliantly defeated New Zealand in the final which went to a super over after the two sides tied at 241 runs at Lord’s on Sunday. With the victory, England became first-time champions in the tournament. The match took an unexpected turn at the very last ball when England reached the exact target posted by New Zealand.
The host team required 2 runs from the last ball but ended up scoring only one, bringing the two sides to a draw. In the super over eliminator round that followed, England set a 16-run target for New Zealand which the Kiwis matched evenly, with the outcome then decided by superior boundary count. At the end of the earlier outcome, the excitement was palpable as ESPNcricinfo reported: “Boult to Stokes, 1 run, OUT, Holy Moly! It’s a freaking tie. We’re not done yet. We will have a Super Over to decide the winner of the 2019 World Cup final.” Needing to surpass New Zealand’s 241-8 to win the World Cup for the first time, England ended on 241 all out after Mark Wood was run out off the final ball. That meant both teams would get one over each to bat, facing six balls each with a maximum of three batsmen.