New Zealand would have noticed the irony that Morgan’s credo was actually inspired by their own fearless strategy, which was motivated by Brendon McCullum.
Everyone will remember the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019 Final differently, whether they were one of the fortunate fans inside Lord’s or one of the millions watching on screens around the world.
It was a game that had it all, from Trent Boult unintentionally standing on the boundary rope to Ben Stokes sliding in to redirect a throw for the luckiest of overthrows to the debut of the first-ever ODI Super Over on the biggest platforms.
With Martin Guptill out of bounds, Jos Buttler whipped off the bails, giving England the victory on a boundary countback after the regular match and Super Over were matched. The mythical home of cricket has rarely heard such a cacophony of uproar.
It was the culmination of England’s incredible journey led by Eoin Morgan, who set out to win the World Cup at home and succeeded, as famously said by commentator Ian Smith, by the thinnest of margins.
Of course, McCullum has since gone on to similarly transform England’s Test squad.
On October 5, when the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 begins in Ahmedabad, both teams will be thinking back to that historic day at Lord’s, in part because so many of the same players will be on display.
Seven players from each team’s starting lineup in the final four years ago are included in their respective nations’ squads this time around, with Buttler taking over as England captain after Morgan’s retirement.
Both teams will be depending on their seasoned minds as they attempt to mount a campaign for the silverware once more. Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow, two of England’s past World Cup champions, agreed that the 2019 final was “the greatest game ever.”
The last two ICC Men’s Cricket World Cups runners-up, as well as at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021, New Zealand did win the world championship they deserved two years ago when they won the ICC World Test Championship.
Kane Williamson will be eager to make up for the mistakes from 2019, when he received a lot of admiration for his kind attitude to such a painful setback. Despite concerns about his fitness, he was selected for the team for this competition.
In his news conference, he noted that everyone enjoyed the game, but, in my opinion, the English did so more so than we did. It was a fantastic cricket match.
“You play this game to help the game expand, and perhaps the sport grows and people start appreciating it, or maybe it will draw new viewers. That’s always a crucial component of your work, and perhaps this accomplishes something along those lines.
It may be too much to hope for a similarly thrilling contest to open this year’s championship, but there should be plenty of thrills and spills in the most recent meeting between two teams that have a lot of respect for one another, especially if their most recent ODI series is any indication.
Ben Stokes, who has come out of retirement in this format to join the team preparing to defend their championship, smashed England’s highest-ever ODI score (182) to help his team earn a 3-1 victory despite the Black Caps demonstrating their potential in the first game by chasing down 291 for the loss of just two wickets. A perfect way to begin a cricketing feast, it is expected to be another barnstorming match between two of the favorites for the championship.
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