The final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 between New Zealand and England was at fever pitch when it came to tension. England needed 15 runs off the last over and they had only two wickets. Crucially, Ben Stokes was on strike and he was looking in good touch. Trent Boult was given the task of bowling the final over and after two dot balls, the pressure was on England.
Stokes blasted the third ball for a six but on the fourth ball, there were controversy and pandemonium. Stokes thumped a full ball to midwicket and took off for a couple, Martin Guptill threw the ball at the striker’s end as Stokes attempted to make his ground. However, as he dived with the bat stretched, the ball hit the bat and raced away to the boundary.
Umpire Kumar Dharmasena awarded six runs and England needed three off two. The match ended in a tie and the super over was initiated to decide who the winner was. The super over was also tied but England was declared winners after their boundary count was greater than that of New Zealand.
On this, the media houses of two nations had their angle to report the result:
England:
New Zealand:
HIGHLIGHTS
- England was declared winner after boundary count rule.
- Kane Williamson was awarded as player of the tournament.
- Ben Stokes was awarded as the man of the match.