History’s Most Thrilling ODI: One of the most exciting games in the history of One Day Internationals was the 2019 Cricket World Cup final, which was played on July 14, 2019. The Mecca of Cricket, Lord’s, hosted a match between two sides who had never before won the ODI World Cup.
Despite the fact that England and New Zealand were hardly novices at this point, playing in a world cup final carries an unparalleled amount of pressure. Kane Williamson, the captain of New Zealand, chose to bat first, setting the table for history to be made in either case.
Martin Guptill and Henry Nicholls, who played for New Zealand, got off to a strong start. The seventh over, though, saw Chris Woakes dismiss Guptill for 19.
As soon as he entered the game, Captain Williamson and Nicholls safely increased the score beyond the 100-run threshold.
To give his team a crucial breakthrough, Liam Plunkett had Williamson out-caught behind the number thirty.
Numerous New Zealand hitters got the start on a challenging pitch, but they were unable to turn them into something meaningful. However, Nicholls (55) and Tom Latham (47), who helped the Black Caps end on 241/8 overall, made sure the total was acceptable.
The English team’s response was weak, as they lost their top four batsmen for 86 runs in just 24 overs. New Zealand was now feeling confident, but Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler refused to back down, putting up a partnership of 110 until Buttler was removed for a score of 59.
Stokes was now England’s lone hope as they required 46 points off of 32 balls. The all-rounder maintained his composure and continued to score the occasional boundary to keep his team going. The game was edging closer to a tight outcome and came down to the wire.
Off the penultimate ball, England needed to score two runs. And England was able to win one, with the world cup final finishing in a draw for the first time ever.
The match then entered the most exciting Super Over ever played.
For the fans, there would be more drama. In the Super Over, England batted first and scored 15 runs, compared to New Zealand’s aim of 16. With 15 runs remaining, the Kiwis tied the game once more.
However, England prevailed in History’s most thrilling ODI match thanks to better boundary counts, becoming the first team in history to win the ODI world championship.