On 14th July 2019, England Cricket team led by Eoin Morgan created history as they lifted their first ever ICC Cricket World Cup at Lord’s, the home of cricket. What made it more special was that it came in front of their own crowd.
The host nation beat New Zealand in a dramatic final after scores were level in 50 overs (241) and in Super Over (15) as well. England were named winner of the CWC 2019 based on the number of boundaries scored during the 50 overs and super over, with the home side hitting 26 boundaries versus New Zealand’s 17.
Even after 7 weeks, 48 matches and 100 overs in the final, it all came down to a first ever ODI super over to decide a new World Champion. It’s a game that we'll remember for a very long time. Despite giving it all, New Zealand finished as runners-up for the second time running.
Ben Stokes was adjudged Man of the Match for his match-defining 84* in the final that helped England tie the game in 50 overs.
Here are a few other individual & world cup records from this edition that will be spoken about for some time to come:
Most Runs
Rohit Sharma's record of five centuries during the league stage put him right on top of the list of highest run-scorer (648 runs) during this World Cup. Aussie opener, David Warner (647 runs) fell short by just one run as his side ended their campaign in a semi-final defeat to England.
Highest Individual Score
Australia's David Warner set the tone with a smashing 166 at Trent Bridge against Bangladesh. The left-hander’s knock was the highest individual score of this World Cup. The match also recorded 714 runs in total, another World Cup record.
No.1 all rounder for a reason
Bangladeshi all rounder Shakib Al Hasan had a dream World Cup. The southpaw scored 606 runs, third highest at an average of 86.57. The former KKR player also scalped 11 wickets in the tournament. His best bowling figures (5/29) came against Afghanistan. Shakib scripted history, as he became the first player to score 500+ runs and take 10 wickets in a single edition.
Fastest fifty
Alex Carey’s inclusion in Australia’s World Cup squad raised a few eyebrows after Peter Handscomb’s good start to the year with the bat. But, the 27-year old didn’t disappoint at all.
In a high-scoring encounter against India, he scored the fastest 50 (in 25 balls) of this World Cup. His 55* came against India in a losing cause but that was a positive sign for Australia.
Another knock that deserves plenty of plaudits will be his valiant 46 against England in the semifinal. It will go down as one of the bravest world cup knocks for Australia. The wicketkeeper batsman took a blow off Jofra Archer's bowling but continued to bat with a bandaged chin. His 103-run partnership with Steve Smith took Australia to a fighting total.
Most Boundaries
The CWC19 final result was decided on the number of boundaries that the teams scored during their respective 50 overs. England bettered New Zealand and such had been the case for the side during the tournament.
- England had four batsmen among top seven with most number of 6s and four inside top eleven with most number of 4s.
- NZ on the other hand have just one (Jimmy Neesham, 7 sixes) batsman among top 36 with most number of 6s and one (Kane Williamson, 50 fours) in top 22 with most number of 4s.
The aggressive approach for England eventually paid off on the big stage.
Most Wickets
Australia's Mitchell Starc was lethal with the new ball along with being consistent in the death overs. He finished with 27 wickets to his name and was rightly at the top of most wickets tally in this World Cup. He went past Glenn McGrath’s 26 scalps to break the 12-year old record.
New Zealand's Lockie Ferguson was crucial to New Zealand’s bowling attack and took 21 wickets in nine matches, the second best tally from a Kiwi in World Cups.
Dots, Maiden, Archer!
Brought into the World Cup squad just ahead of the mega event, Jofra Archer showed plenty of maturity with the ball and proved to be the X-Factor for a strong English side.
The fast bowler was just three ODIs old before CWC 2019 and finished with the most number of dot balls in the tournament and second most number of maiden overs after India's Jasprit Bumrah.
The tournament had plenty of rain-spoilers during the league stage but eventually it ended with a grand finish with England lifting the trophy in an astonishing battle.