The Cricket World Cup served up its best dish in a thrilling final at Lord’s on Sunday evening.
With England chasing New Zealand’s 241/8, they needed 15 runs off the final four balls.
Ben Stokes (84*) then smacked the ball to Martin Guptill on the boundary and sprinted back for the second.
Guptill’s throw-in hit the England all-rounder and the ball rolled to the boundary for another four runs.
Who bats?! Who bowls?! WOW. Does this game just HAVE IT ALL? #CWC19 #ENGvNZ #BACKTHEBLACKCAPS pic.twitter.com/1TkEAI2fIj
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) July 14, 2019
That gave the hosts a lifeline and left them with nine runs to get off three balls before Mark Wood was run out on the final ball as England got 241.
Match tied. Super Over.
England then batted first in the first ever Super Over in a World Cup final.
Stokes and Jos Butler, who scored 59 in his first innings, were selected to face Kiwi ace Trent Boult (0/67) and smacked 15.
Set 16 for the win, NZ sent in Martin Guptill (19) and James Neesham (19) to square off against Pom Jofra Archer (1/42).
"England have won the World Cup by the barest of all margins. Absolute ecstasy for England, agony for New Zealand!"
The final moments of #CWC19 haven't quite sunk in yet 😅
Relive them once again ⬇️ #CWC19Final| #WeAreEngland pic.twitter.com/y1zWIlEg4g
— Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) July 14, 2019
Archer started with a wide and was smacked for a huge six off the second ball by Neesham.
But he recovered, with NZ then needing two runs off the final ball.
It wasn’t to be, as Guptill was run out while going for the winning run.
England crowned champs in what will go down as the most dramatic World Cup final of all time.