Rohit Mahajan
AT THE WORLD CUP
London, July 14
England beat New Zealand in a thriller here today to win the World Cup for the first time, taking the trophy after the two teams were tied after 50 overs and the Super Over. England and New Zealand scored 241 runs each in the regulation 50 overs, and 15 runs each in the Super Over, but the hosts won the title because they hit more boundaries than New Zealand in the day’s play.
Ben Stokes was at the heart of England’s win, blasting 84 off 98 balls as England chased New Zealand’s 241. In the Super Over, he scored 8 runs off the three balls he faced — an easy Man of the Match. Kane Williamson, the New Zealand captain, was named the Man of the Tournament for his batting and leadership. “I’m pretty lost for words. All the hard work over four years to get here, and to be champions of the World is an amazing feeling,” Stokes said later. “Playing against New Zealand is always a great event to be a part of. They’re a seriously good team.” England’s win ended their 44-year wait to get their hands on the trophy — they had lost in the final three times but had not entered even the semifinals after 1992 when they were beaten by Pakistan in the final.
“The fight, the spirit they showed. I thought it was a hard, hard game. This has been a four-year journey, we’ve developed a lot over those years,” said England captain Eoin Morgan, who has led the team’s revival.
The atmosphere at Lord’s was electric, with fans high on spirits singing and dancing through the two innings.
At 7.29 pm (GMT), though, as New Zealand failed to get the 15 runs in the Super Over, it was the English fans who danced at Lord’s while New Zealanders consoled each other.
from The Tribune https://ift.tt/2xPG7mJ
via Today’s News Headlines
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