Last Updated on 5 years by Charbel Coorey

CWC 2019 Final talking points: England v New Zealand. ENG vs NZ: 5 key talking points from the 2019 Cricket World Cup Final

Was it all just a dream? Up throughout the night in Sydney and on a few hours sleep, I join cricket fans in disbelief all over the globe after what was one of the most incredible games of cricket in history.

Forget just ODIs. One of the best games in history.

England won their first ever World Cup, denying the luckless New Zealand in a heartbreak that no movie can ever top. Ben Stokes played the innings of his life to rescue his side, along with events late on that surely has to have the ICC questioning their rules.

However, whatever your views of the rules, no one can deny the sheer drama that had fans on the edge of their seat.

The 1999 World Cup Final is the earliest I can remember, which was incredibly one-sided. So were 2003 and 2007. Sri Lanka did well in 2011, but India won with time to spare. 2015 was also one-sided. But, the 2019 World Cup Final made up for it all, producing the kind of drama that tells you that a plethora of fours and sixes aren’t the essential requirement for a great game (well, that’s ironic given that England actually won on boundaries).

So, after all that, here are five talking points from an incredible World Cup Final.

Download: Making cricket an interactive experience! Discover Harrison Cricket Apps ODI version. For full screenshots, click here.

1. The greatest ODI of all time

The 2019 Cricket World Cup Final will go down as the greatest ODI of all time. 20 years on from the unforgettable 1999 Semi Final (which was shown throughout the tournament more often than 2019 highlights), this Final trumped it in terms of sheer drama, turning points, controversy and the incredible Super Over.

New Zealand, like they did against India, believed they were in the game at half time. They had runs on the board in a Final. But, what was more impressive this time was their ability to stick to their task after a luckless first few overs, ripping through England in the middle to leave Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler with a mountain to climb.

Twitter was in meltdown. Kevin Pietersen was mysteriously absent as he pondered what his life would be like if England had lost. After all, he predicted an ‘easy’ win. Buttler and Stokes put on a magnificent stand, but a game like this was never going to have a tame end.

Indeed, the ending was so good that movie producers would not have been able to script such drama.

2. Ben Stokes produces an all-time great performance

Ben Stokes was England’s best player in this campaign. Easily. The Champions had their fair share of rocky moments throughout the tournament, and it was Stokes who stood up to be counted on numerous occasions. His knocks against Sri Lanka and Australia were signs of a player confident in his ability to bat through storms. Here, he went up to another level, keeping his cool as England’s batting lineup was under attack from New Zealand’s armoury of talented bowlers. He gave himself a chance to get England home even when he could barely run anymore.

It was a performance for the ages, even with Trent Boult’s mighty ‘step-up’ on the boundary off Stokes in the penultimate over that meant a six instead England’s hopes dashed. Sheer adrenaline and passion got him over the line. Every ounce of energy was spent in creating history. He achieved it, creating pandemonium in the stands and across the nation. Now, Stokes can be mentioned in a list of players who produced gold in World Cup Finals – a list that includes Clive Lloyd, Wasim Akram, Aravinda de Silva, Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist and MS Dhoni.

Also read: Who else joins Ben Stokes in the 2019 World Cup Team of the Tournament?

3. The ICC must look at its rules + umpires have a tough outing

ODI Cricket’s showpiece event was a magnificent spectacle. However, two rules left a sour taste.

The first was in the last over of the chase. England needed nine runs off three balls, and Ben Stokes hit the ball out to deep midwicket and rushed back for two. In a game full of drama, it was only appropriate that the throw would cannon off his bat as he dived to make the crease and run away for four. Two turned into six, but this should have never been the case. It should have been five instead of six, but that’s all extra complication. Batsmen don’t run for overthrows when the ball hits them, so why should four runs count? Why should the fielding team be penalised for trying to initiate a dismissal that accidentally hits the batsman? That too in the final stages of World Cup Final? Cricket has some incredible rules that defy logic, and this is one of them. It is time for the ball to be dead if it accidentally strikes the batsman running between the wickets.

The second is the boundary rule. New Zealand watched England lift the trophy without even losing the match. By rewarding the number of boundaries across the game, you disregard the effort put in by players in running between the wickets. If teams finish with equal runs, then you have another Super Over. The team with more runs should win the match. After all, a boundary is equivalent to four singles. So, why should the boundary mean more?

Yes, both teams knew the rules beforehand. But, that doesn’t make them good rules. New Zealand were very hard done by, and how they and their fans would be feeling right now is something you wouldn’t wish on anyone. This is in addition to Kumar Dharmasena and Marais Erasmus making errors, including the missed edge off Kane Williamson, incorrect LBWs off Henry Nicholls and Ross Taylor (which he couldn’t review) and the very good shout turned down against Jason Roy on the first ball of England’s innings.

Things could have been better in such a big game.

Download: Making cricket an interactive experience! Discover Harrison Cricket Apps ODI version. For full screenshots, click here.

4. Bowlers rule in this World Cup

Hey, who remembers Liam Plunkett taking 3/42 in a magnificent spell that turned the game in the middle overs? So much happened after Plunkett’s exploits, but it was such great justification for England’s selectors.

England has been home to mammoth totals over the past four years. Beautiful batting pitches have been the common theme, making games a boundary-a-thon rather than a proper battle between bat and ball. In the Final, we were treated to an amazing battle, where the likes of Plunkett, Chris Woakes, Lockie Ferguson and Colin de Grandhomme proving that you don’t need 350 vs 350 to have a thrilling ODI match.

Indeed, it was a magnificent effort by New Zealand to come so close. Their batting never fired all tournament, but their bowlers always kept them in matches. As the saying goes, batsmen win you games, but bowlers win you tournaments, and England’s significant improvement with the ball also played a crucial factor in their success.

5. Four years of hard work rewarded

Despite the controversies, no one can doubt England have been the best side over the past four years. Their embarrassing campaign in 2015 was the catalyst for change, embarking on a four-year journey that ultimately had the perfect destination.

Eoin Morgan deserves plenty of credit. He and Trevor Bayliss instilled a culture of freedom in their ODI side, completely changing their approach to white-ball cricket. They had bumps along the way – such as the 2017 Champions Trophy Semi Final – but they held their nerve here even as they weren’t even assured of a Semi Final spot with two group games left to play.

Now, England and their fans can savour a great moment: their first ever World Cup.

Download: Making cricket an interactive experience! Discover Harrison Cricket Apps ODI version. For full screenshots, click here.

Thanks for reading!