Yesterday, Cricket World Cup came to an end, where the final match was way more thrilling and nail-biting than anyone had been anticipating it would be – with the match and even the Super Over ending in a tie. The buzz of the final match ended in a roar, as the hosts won their first-ever World Cup. The ties in the match, however, were indeed the highlight of the game that kept the fans on the edge of their seats.
During the last over of the game, with just 3 balls left and England needing 9 runs to win, Ben Stokes, hit the ball close to the boundary, but was caught. And the fielder threw the ball back, it hit Stokes’ bat again, and was deflected off towards the boundary unguarded, as he had dived for a second run. This scored England an unexpected 6 runs bridging the vast gap of 9 runs in 3 balls to 3 runs in 2 balls.
An unfortunate overthrow ended up being the crucial point of victory for England. But, British bowler, Ben Stokes, sees it in a very different light. Speaking about the incident, Stokes reportedly said –
“Not the way I wanted to do it, ball going off my bat like that, I apologised to Kane. I said to Kane I’ll be apologising for that for the rest of my life.”
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In the post-match ceremony, Kiwi Captain, Kane Williamson commented on the mishap –
“That [the Stokes deflection] was a bit of a shame, wasn’t it? You just hope it doesn’t happen in moments like that. I don’t wish to nitpick, just hope it never happens in such moments ever again.”
In lieu of the main match ending in a tie, the Super Over over was introduced. And if the whole match wasn’t enough dramatic already, even the tie-breaking Super Over ended in a tie with 15 runs for each team. In the end, the game was decided by the rule of maximum boundaries, which England won with a whopping 26, over 17 boundaries by Kiwi batsmen.
While Stokes’ accidental six led England to its World Cup at Lord’s on Sunday, his father Gerard Stokes has been fielding a few jibes about being “the most hated father in New Zealand.” He reported that being a New Zealand supporter, he had mixed reactions over England’s victory and his son’s vital role in it.
“I really am disappointed for the Black Caps; it’s such a shame someone had to walk away without the trophy. Hand on heart, I am overjoyed for Ben and the team, but I am still a New Zealand supporter.”
The thrill of the match surely kept mounting throughout the match, and we thank the two teams for giving us such an entertaining game.
P.S.: Congratulations, England!