The final of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019 is unanimously being hailed as one of the greatest One-Day International matches, if not the greatest, of all time. The encounter at Lord’s on Sunday saw England edge out New Zealand after a nail-biting Super Over.
Eoin Morgan and Co created history by becoming the first men’s English team to win the coveted 50-over tournament. The scenes of jubilation among the players and the fans showed how much this triumph meant to them.
On Tuesday, the International Cricket Council released a video that captures the final moments of what was truly an unforgettable match at the ‘Home of Cricket’.
Watch the video here:
Ben Stokes, the player of the match in the final, reflected on England’s historic triumph, saying the team would’ve been devastated if they hadn’t gone all the way. “We would have been devastated if we hadn’t managed to lift that trophy but looking back over that game I think it will go down in the history books as the best ever, with all the drama of a World Cup final. It’s an amazing thing to be part of.”
The World Cup could be the first half of remarkable double with England, for the first time since the inaugural 1975 edition, staging a World Cup and Ashes in the same season.
First comes a one-off Test against Ireland at Lord’s next week before England begin their quest to regain the urn against an Australia side seeking a first away Ashes series win since 2001 at Edgbaston on August 1.
“We may be world champions but also want to be Ashes winners as well,” said the 28-year-old Stokes. “Everyone here deserves to feel like a champion because we’ve just won it but when it comes to the Ashes it’s going to be heads on again because it has to be. “Whether you’re winning or losing games, you’ve just got to wipe the slate clean.”
[With inputs from AFP]