Lord's 2019: World Cup for England, Love for New Zealand -- by the barest of margins

Press Box 2020

By the barest of margins. The baaaarest of margins. The 2019 World Cup was decided — some will argue it wasn’t even decided — by the barest of margins.

When the game was completed, nothing separated England and New Zealand. When the SuperOver was done, nothing separated England and New Zealand. And yet, England won the World Cup, on the back of having scored more boundaries than New Zealand.

Ben Stokes was epic, Jos Buttler a star, but Kane Williamson was the one who walked away with the most credit, for the manner in which he had led his team in trying circumstances; for showing the world it was possible to accept defeat and victory with the same grace; for rising above nationalistic and tribalistic feelings and keeping the game front and centre.

For England, it was a moment that they had been waiting for since the invention of 50-over cricket. And Eoin Morgan’s men were that rare set of Englishmen who were not a group that every neutral in the world was against. Here was an England team who caught the eye, playing an attacking brand of cricket, embracing multiculturalism and overcoming the pressure of playing a World Cup at home to come out on top.

Few matches have had such sustained drama at the death. Few games have lived up to their billing in terms of occasion and spectacle, as the 2019 World Cup final.

Did the right team win? Was the ICC napping when it came to making rules? Are Williamson’s New Zealand just too nice?

So much to talk about and so little time. Get stuck in, as Bharat Sundaresan and Anand Vasu did. And don’t miss the bit about the cakes at Lord’s!

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