The 2019 Cricket World Cup: England's Super Over Victory and New Zealand's Heartbreak
England won the 2019 Cricket World Cup in the most dramatic finale in the sport's history — a tied Super Over against New Zealand at Lord's, decided by boundary count.
The 2019 Cricket World Cup final at Lord's on 14 July 2019 is the most dramatic match in cricket history. England and New Zealand tied the 50-over match (both scoring 241), then tied the Super Over (both scoring 15 runs from 6 deliveries), and England were declared the winners because they had hit more boundaries during the match. England's first ever World Cup title was decided by a boundary-count tiebreaker — a rule so obscure it had never been needed before and was subsequently changed. The match lasted from 10:30am to nearly 9pm and produced one of sport's most extraordinary final hours.
The Match and Super Over
New Zealand scored 241/8 batting first, with Tom Latham and Ross Taylor contributing key runs. England's chase required Jos Buttler (59) and Ben Stokes (84*) to rescue the innings from 86/4. On the final ball of the 50th over, needing 2 to win, Stokes hit the ball toward fine leg — it hit diving fielder Martin Guptill's outstretched hand and deflected to the boundary for 6 (4+2 overthrows) — a ruling that has been debated ever since but was legally correct. The match was tied at 241 each. The Super Over — bowled by Jofra Archer for England, Trent Boult for New Zealand — also ended in a tie. England had hit 26 boundaries to New Zealand's 17 during the match, so England were declared World Cup winners.
New Zealand's Tragic Near-Miss
New Zealand's performance in the 2019 final was exceptional — they competed magnificently and deserved to share the title at least. Captain Kane Williamson had led the team with extraordinary dignity throughout the tournament, and his conduct after the loss — expressing congratulations to England without complaint about the boundary-count rule — was widely praised. ICC subsequently changed the tiebreaker rule: from the 2020 T20 World Cup onwards, ties in knockout matches would be resolved by a second Super Over rather than a boundary count, effectively acknowledging the inadequacy of the 2019 method.
Frequently asked questions
Who won the 2019 Cricket World Cup?
England won the 2019 Cricket World Cup at Lord's on 14 July 2019, defeating New Zealand in the most dramatic final in cricket history. The 50-over match tied (241 each), the Super Over tied (15 each), and England were declared winners on boundary count (26 vs 17).
Why was the 2019 final decided by boundary count?
Under the 2019 ICC Playing Conditions, if the Super Over in a knockout match was also tied, the team with more boundaries scored during the entire match won. England had hit 26 boundaries to New Zealand's 17. The rule was subsequently changed — from 2020 onwards, a second Super Over is played rather than using boundary count.
What was the overthrow controversy in the 2019 final?
On the last ball of England's 50-over innings, Ben Stokes hit the ball toward fine leg. Fielder Martin Guptill threw to the wicketkeeper but the ball deflected off Stokes' outstretched bat and ran to the boundary — 4 overthrows plus the 2 runs already completed = 6 runs. This took England to 241. The Laws correctly awarded 6 runs from the moment of the overthrow, though the boundary award was disputed by some New Zealand players and commentators.