July 14, 2019. A day no sports fan can forget.
On one day, the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup witnessed a Super Over for the first time in history as England emerged champions in dramatic style and the Wimbledon men’s singles final between Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer went to a Super Tiebreak, also for the first time. Less than nine miles separate Lord’s Cricket Ground and the All England Lawn Tennis Club at SW19 in London and at those two hallowed sporting venues, two sporting events transcended reality and reached into realms of incredibility.
Two epic finals in London happened on the same day that simultaneously captured the attention of sports fans around the world.
Kane Williamson and Co won the hearts of thousands but ended up second best but only by a bizarre countback rule. New Zealand lost the World Cup against England by ZERO RUNS, as one headline read. Meanwhile at Wimbledon, after four gruelling sets, there was no separating Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic even in the fifth: the superstars turned gladiators and were level at 12-12. It was only after the newly-introduced tiebreak in the final set, did the Serb come out as the champion, and a deserving one at that.
As the year draws to a close, the ICC and Wimbledon have released a video capturing the sensational climaxes of the two events.
“One city. Two historic finals. Embraced by millions around the world,” read the tweet by ICC.
Watch the video here:
Also read: A ‘Super Sunday’ for the ages — World Cup final, Wimbledon final and the joy of being a sports fan