The 2019 World Cup came to a dramatic end after England pipped New Zealand in a controversial super over to take the crown. Both the teams were level at 241 runs at the end of 50 overs and the match went into the super over. Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes scored 15 runs for England and New Zealand were given a target of 16 runs.
The Kiwi team got off to a great start as they scored 9 runs in the starting two deliveries to ease the pressure. They scored 5 runs off next three balls that brought the equation to 2 off 1 ball. Martin Guptill whipped the ball in front of the deep square fielder- Jason Roy and hurried for the second run but eventually fell short.
After super-overs tie, England were adjudged the winner as they scored more boundaries than New Zealand in the course of 50 overs.
Some impressive performance by the players
The show piece event turned out to be career defining moment for some of the cricketers. Bangladesh’s Shakib-Al-Hasan put a great show and scored 606 runs and picked 11 wickets in 8 innings. India’s Rohit Sharma emerged as the highest run scorer with 648 runs in 9 innings at an average of 81.00 which also includes the historic five tons.
New Zealand’s low lying batting line-up was strengthened by Kane Williamson, who scored 578 runs in 9 innings and emerged as the man of the tournament.
In the bowling department, Mitchell Starc continued to deliver and picked 27 wickets in 10 innings. New Zealand’s Lockie Ferguson redefined the pace bowling as he picked most number of wickets in the middle overs. He finished with 21 wickets in nine innings. Yuzvendra Chahal emerged as the highest wicket taker amongst the spinners and finished with 12 wickets in eight innings.
Sunil Gavaskar picks the best 11 of the tournament
As the World cup came to its conclusion, former cricketers started picking their best XI of the tournament and joining the trend was former India great- Sunil Gavaskar.
The veteran of 125 test matches picked the leading run scorers of the tournament as his opener. Rohit Sharma and David Warner have scored 648 and 647 runs respectively.
Man of the tournament- Kane Williamson(578 runs in 9 innings) was given the responsibility to bat at number three and he will be followed by England’s Joe Root(556 runs in 11 innings) and Bangladesh’s Shakib-Al-Hasan(606 runs in 8 innings).
All-rounders
The 70-year-old further picked Shakib-Al-Hasan who played the tournament of his life and scored 606 runs in 8 innings and chipped in with 11 wickets. Man of the match of the finals- Ben Stokes will be another all-rounder in his team, who scored 465 runs in 10 innings and chipped in with 7 wickets.
Ravindra Jadeja is the only spinner in his team. The all-rounder from Saurashtra played just two games in the tournament but proved his worth. He picked two wickets in two innings and scored 77 runs in 1 innings of the semi-final against New Zealand.
Wicket-keeper
Australia’s promising wicket-keeper batsman- Alex Carey showed intent in the lower middle order and his heroics have won him a place in Gavaskar’s team. He scored 375 runs in eight innings for the Aussies.
Mitchell Starc(27 wickets) will lead the pace bowling attack alongside India’s Jasprit Bumrah, who picked 18 wickets in 9 innings. Jofra Archer kept his nerves in the super over of the World Cup finals to win the trophy for England. He impressed one and all by picking 20 wickets in 11 innings and finished at the third spot in the list of highest wicket takers. He also finds a place in Gavaskar’s team.
Sunil Gavaskar’s best XI
Rohit Sharma, David Warner, Joe Root, Kane Williamson, Shakib-Al-Hasan, Alex Carey, Ben Stokes, Mitchell Starc, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Jasprit Bumrah.
