Lord's 2019: The Final Decided by a Tie, a Super Over and Boundaries

Nobody inside Lord's on 14 July 2019 could have scripted what happened in the final hour. With the scores level after 50 overs, the match went to a Super Over. The Super Over was also tied. England, who had never won a World Cup in 44 years of trying, were declared champions because they had hit more boundaries. For several minutes afterwards, half the ground was cheering and the other half was too stunned to move.

A tournament that built to this

England had arrived at the 2019 World Cup, hosted at home, as one of the favourites. Under Eoin Morgan they had remade their white-ball cricket over four years, abandoning cautious batting for fearless, aggressive hitting. They stumbled mid-tournament, losing to Sri Lanka and Pakistan, but recovered to beat India and New Zealand in the group stage and then thrashed Australia in the semi-final.

New Zealand had reached the final more quietly. Captained by Kane Williamson, they had scraped into the last four, beaten India in a low-scoring semi-final, and arrived at Lord's as the side with nothing to lose. They also had a track record of fine performances in world events, but no trophy to show for it.

New Zealand set a modest target

New Zealand batted first on a pitch that offered some assistance to the seamers and made 241 for 8. Henry Nicholls scored 55 and Tom Latham 47, while Chris Woakes and Liam Plunkett took three wickets each for England. It was a score that looked a little below par and certainly within reach for England's strong batting order.

England's reply began badly. New Zealand's seamers removed the top order, and at one point England were 86 for 4. Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root and Morgan were all gone, and the match looked to be slipping away.

Stokes and Buttler rebuild

Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler brought England back into the contest with a patient partnership. Buttler struck 59 before falling, and Stokes continued to bat with determination, shielding the tail and chasing a target that seemed to grow bigger as the overs ran out.

By the last over England needed 15. Stokes hit a six off Boult, and on the next delivery a throw from the deep struck his bat as he dived for a second run and sped to the boundary. Four overthrows were added to the two runs completed, giving England six off the ball. The umpires' decision to award six, rather than five, has been debated ever since, but under the playing conditions of the time it was applied as written.

England needed three from the last ball and scrambled only two, and Mark Wood was run out going for the second. The scores were level at 241, and the match went to a Super Over.

The Super Over

Stokes and Buttler returned to bat, and Boult bowled to them. They scored 15, with a mix of boundaries and sharp running. It was an English total that seemed enough, but New Zealand were unfazed. Jofra Archer, the young fast bowler, was asked to defend 15 in the most pressured over of his career.

Jimmy Neesham and Martin Guptill needed 16. Neesham hit a six, and they needed two from the final ball. Guptill drove to deep midwicket and set off for the second, but he was run out by a direct throw to the wicketkeeper, and the scores finished level once more.

The countback and its reception

Under the tournament's regulations, the result then depended on the number of boundaries hit during the match and Super Over. England had 26, New Zealand 17, and England were champions. Williamson, the New Zealand captain, took the outcome with a calm that earned wide admiration, and he was named player of the tournament.

The method of deciding the result was widely criticised, because it appeared to penalise New Zealand for something their bowlers had done well. A few months later the ICC changed the regulations, so that a tied Super Over in major finals would be followed by further Super Overs until a result emerged.

A final that grew in memory

For England, the win was the culmination of a long project and a landmark in their history. Morgan's men had changed the way the national team played, and the trophy confirmed that approach. For New Zealand, it was a cruel and heart-breaking defeat, but their dignity in the aftermath was part of the story as well.

The final is regularly described as one of the greatest cricket matches ever played. It had everything: a collapse, a rescue, a freak overthrow, two ties and an ending nobody could have predicted.

The overthrow debate

Of all the details of that evening, the overthrow remains the most argued over. The ball deflected off Stokes's bat as he dived to make his ground, and he did not intend it to happen. He raised an apologetic hand towards Williamson straight away, a gesture that was widely admired. The umpires awarded six in total, and the exact application of the law at that moment has been discussed ever since.

What is rarely noted is how much else had to go right for England to get to that point. Stokes had to keep his nerve for more than 40 overs, Buttler had to help rebuild the innings, and Archer had to bowl one of the great Super Overs. Take away any of these and the outcome might have been different, and that is the beauty of a final decided by the narrowest of margins.