ICC CWC 2019 final: England script history, claim maiden World Cup title

Both England and New Zealand posted 241 runs in their 50 overs, the match went to super over where both teams scored 15 runs but England won due to higher number of boundaries

1:16 PM

England road to final

vs Bangladesh (June 8)

 

Result: England won by 106 runs

 

Jason Roy smashed 153 off 121 balls to help England reach 386/6 in their 50 overs. It did look like they would make well over 400 when Roy was going big guns in the middle overs. Shakib Al Hasan scored 121 but Bangladesh managed to reach only 280, thus sealing the win for England.

1:08 PM

England road to final

vs Pakistan (June 3)

 

Result: Pakistan won by 14 runs

 

What was expected to a stroll in the park ended up being a sensational defeat. Pakistan batted first and got strong partnerships from their top five. They set up a total of 349. England got centuries from Joe Root and Jos Buttler but the rest hardly scored as they were eventually restricted to 334/9.

12:55 PM

England road to final: Match 1

England vs South Africa (May 30)

 

Result: England won by 104 runs

 

The tournament opener was also one in which England sent a clear signal to the rest of the teams. They got partnerships all the way down the order batting first with Ben Stokes top scoring with 89. Stokes also took two wickets and a blinder of a catch on the ropes to dismiss Andile Phehlukwayo. England had made 311/8 and in response, South Africa were all out for 207. Read full match report here
 

12:48 PM

Tufnell backs Morgan's England to go one step further than 1992

Phil Tufnell, who was part of the England side that lost the 1992 World Cup final, has backed Eoin Morgan's current squad to go one step further and lift the trophy on Sunday.

The former spinner-turned-expert has had the best seat in the house for much of England's historic run to the final on home soil this summer.

And after Jason Roy and Chris Woakes inspired an eight-wicket walloping of Australia in the semi-finals, Tufnell can't see how New Zealand are going to be able to stop this England team.

 

Eoin Morgan. Photo: Reuters

12:30 PM

Barmy Army to lead England's battle from the stands

They had put the Edgbaston Cricket Ground on fire during the semi-finals and the Barmy Army is now keen to paint the Lords red when hosts England take on last editions runners-up New Zealand in the final of the 2019 World Cup on Sunday.

Speaking to IANS, Barmy Army's social media head Toby Marriott said that this English team has had a spectacular transition and every member of the team deserves the accolades they have got since the whole process of resurgence started in 2015.

"It has been incredible to lose to Bangladesh in 2015 and then to rise from there. Beating Australia in the semi-final and now going into the final as favourites is an incredible transition. Eoin Morgan has been a brilliant captain and he has been supported well by every single member of the team. Look at the likes of Jofra Archer who has just come in and is making a massive impression. I think these guys are incredibly talented, but very down to earth without any ego," he said.

Going back to the history of how it all started for the fan group, Marriott said: "We have been around from the 1994-95 Ashes series in Australia. It started with the guys singing a few songs and the Australian press named us the 'Barmy Army'. It has become a brand now and we have around 35,000 members and we are almost synonymous with English cricket. The best part is that you just need to be an English cricket fan to be a part of us. But you have to love Test cricket (smiles). The background and the sexes don't matter, just gotta love the game."

Birmingham: England's Liam Plunkett, left, celebrates with teammates the dismissal of India's captain Virat Kohli during the Cricket World Cup match between England and India at Edgbaston in Birmingham, England, Sunday, June 30, 2019. AP /PTI Photo

12:26 PM

England took 27 years to reach ICC Cricket World Cup final

England, the hosts, took 27 years to reach in the final of the marquee tournament. Having failed on three occasions - in 1979, 1987 and 1992, this English side displayed a new brand of cricket. Under the leadership of Eoin Morgan, England team believes in being aggressive, taking the bowlers to cleaners, scoring highest possible total and producing nasty bouncers with commendable pace.

12:18 PM

England's stinging defeat to Australia gave the hosts a 'good kick': Jason Roy

Jason Roy says England's stinging defeat by Australia in the World Cup group phase gave the hosts a "good kick" and helped them rediscover their mojo.

England will step out at the "home of cricket" on Sunday as favourites to lift the trophy for the first time against a New Zealand side also looking to make history.

Last time they were at the ground they were pushed to the brink of a group-stage elimination by a 64-run loss to 2015 World Cup winners Australia.

England's Jason Roy raises his bat to celebrate scoring fifty runs during the Cricket World Cup semi-final match between England and Australia at Edgbaston. Photo: AP | PTI

12:05 PM

Key bowler for New Zealand cricket team

Trent Boult

Boult had finished the 2015 edition as the tournament's joint highest wicket-taker with Mitchell Starc. He has become one of the most successful fast bowlers of New Zealand. Boult has picked up 17 wickets so far in the tournament. He took the crucial wicket of Indian skipper Virat Kohli in the semi-final match against India. Apart from his fast bowling, he is also known for his sharp fielding skills. He denied West Indies' Carlos Brathwaite from finishing the game against Kiwis as he took a brilliant catch of Brathwaite on the boundary. In the same fixture, Boult picked up four West Indian wickets.
 

Zealand's Trent Boult celebrates the dismissal of India's captain Virat Kohli during the Cricket World Cup semi-final match

11:50 AM

Weakness of England cricket team

England have failed to gun down big totals and their defeats in the group stages are testimony to that. They have shown signs of crumbling under pressure.

11:47 AM

Weakness of New Zealand cricket team

New Zealand's batting is their weakness. Besides Williamson, none of the other batsmen have scored consistently. They also have a habit of choking under pressure.

New Zealand's Martin Guptill leaves the field after being dismissed by India's Jasprit Bumrah

11:37 AM

Strengths of New Zealand cricket team

The Kiwis will once again look up to their in-form skipper Kane Williamson to do the bulwark with the bat. With 548 runs in 8 innings, Williamson is the fifth highest run-getter in the ICC World Cup 2019 and will surely look to build on his consistent form. New Zealand's biggest strength is their fiery pace bowling line-up led by Lockie Ferguson and Trent Boult, who have picked up 18 and 17 wickets, respectively, in the tournament so far.

11:30 AM

England's strength ahead of ICC CWC 2019 final

England's opening pair of Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy have wreaked havoc and they can take the game away from the opposition in a matter of 20 overs. England's bowling with the effervescent Jofra Archer, Chris Woakes and Mark Wood also seem potent. Ben Stokes has been brilliant so far and the all-rounder will look to bring his best to the table in the crucial clash.

11:22 AM

Lord's to be 'no-fly zone' for England-New Zealand final

As England and New Zealand get ready to lock horns in the ongoing ICC Men's Cricket World Cup final on Sunday, the Lord's Cricket Ground has been declared as a 'no fly zone' for both the match day (July 14) and reserve day (July 15).

"It will be a no-fly zone at Lord's tomorrow, keeping in mind the charted flight political messages incident. ICC has requested the concerned authority for the same. Lord's will remain a no-fly zone for both the match day and reserve day (July 14 and 15)," an ICC source told ANI.

Earlier, in the first semi-final between India and New Zealand, the airspace over Old Trafford was shut down keeping the unfurling of political messages in mind.

Before the semi-final clash, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) had written to the BCCI that airspace over Old Trafford, in Manchester will remain shut during the semifinal clash. ECB had assured BCCI that the Old Trafford stadium will be a no-fly zone for the match.
 

11:18 AM

Here are the squads of both the teams

England world cup squad: Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Liam Plunkett, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Moeen Ali, James Vince.

 

New Zealand world cup squad: Martin Guptill, Henry Nicholls, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Tom Latham, Colin de Grandhomme, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Matt Henry, Trent Boult, Colin Munro, Tom Blundell, Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson.

11:08 AM

Preview

The last time England and New Zealand met in the 2019 World Cup, it was a group stage encounter and the hosts broke a 27-year-old record to beat the Kiwis in a showpiece event tie. But all that will count for nothing when the two teams clash in the final at Lord's on Sunday. While New Zealand beat favourites India to seal the final spot, England thrashed arch-rivals Australia by eight wickets to set up the final date.

On paper, it will clearly be a case of home advantage standing Eoin Morgan's men in good stead, but as Kiwi coach Gary Stead hinted on Friday, calling the New Zealand boys underdogs for the final clash would be unfair. After all, they beat the much-fancied Indians to book their ticket to London.

While both teams have quality bowling attacks, the batting of the New Zealand outfit is something that will definitely bother the Kiwis, especially the poor form of experienced opener Martin Guptill. While his direct hit to dismiss M.S. Dhoni did change the outcome of the semi-final between India and New Zealand, he would wish to give the Kiwis a good start at the top. And there is a positive in there. Guptill's first ODI in England was at Lord's in May 2013 and the opener scored 103* against the Englishmen in that game.

But he will come up against Jofra Archer and Mark Wood and the duo have literally been on fire in this edition of the showpiece event picking up 19 and 17 wickets respectively. Archer also has the highest dot balls to his name with 338 and like he showed in the game against Australia, his pace can be quite disconcerting when he is on song.

Archer isn't the only concern though for the Kiwis. Another man who has been a pain in the back of most teams this year, has been Jason Roy, and while he was fined for challenging the decision of umpire Kumar Dharmasena in the semi-final game, he hasn't been suspended and will be free to play. And if the 85 at Edgbaston was anything to go by, New Zealand have their task cut out.

To be fair to the Kiwis, while the bowling attack of the two teams look almost at par on paper, England's batting has a lot more depth as compared to the Kiwis, and Kane Williamson's boys will have their task cut out if they are to clean the batting up. But then, on a given day, anything can happen and the New Zealand players will definitely take confidence from their semi-final encounter against India.
 

ICC CWC 2019: England vs New Zealand Final. Photo: @ICC