Cricket World Cup hero Ben Stokes: 'I will be apologising to Kane for the rest of my life'

Ben Stokes of England acknowledges the crowd after victory during the Final of the ICC Cricket World Cup. Photo /Getty

England's Cricket World Cup hero Ben Stokes says he will be apologising to Black Caps skipper Kane Williamson for the rest of his life after accidentally creating arguably the most pivotal moment in ODI history.

With England needing nine off the final three balls of the final at Lord's, Christchurch-born Stokes was running back for a second run when a throw from Martin Guptill hit his bat and deflected to the boundary for four.

It meant six was recorded off the ball instead of two and Stokes eventually got two singles of the final two balls to force a tie and a Super Over.

Stokes made 84 not out before returning for England in the Super Over. With Trent Boult bowling, Stokes and Joss Buttler scored 15 runs to set New Zealand 16 to win the World Cup.

Jimmy Neesham and Guptill could only manage 15 with England crowned champions due to hitting more boundaries in the 50-over affair.

After the match, Stokes said it was 'written in the stars'.

"I am pretty lost for words. All the hard work to get here and be world champions, it's an amazing feeling. Playing against New Zealand is always a good event, they are good lads. I will be apologising to Kane for the rest of my life [re: the overthrow for the six]…It was written in the stars to happen for us," he said.

Black Caps captain Kane Williamson, who was named player of the tournament said that maybe luck was against his side at Lord's.

"That [Stokes's accidental boundary] was a little bit of a shame, wasn't it? You just hope it doesn't happen at moments like that. Perhaps it wasn't meant to be for us."

Trophy deserved to be shared and one of the best games in the history of cricket.congratulations to @ECB_cricket and @BLACKCAPS for providing an absolute brilliant game of cricket 👏👏

— Angelo Mathews (@Angelo69Mathews) July 14, 2019

A recap of the game

*New Zealand made 241 for eight
*England were all out for 241
*The match was tied, which meant the game went to a super over
*England scored 15 in the super over
*New Zealand scored 15 in their super over, which meant England won on a technicality
*That technicality, specifically, was that they hit more boundaries than New Zealand England have won the World Cup

English reaction

Jofra Archer: "It's an amazing feeling. They're a great bunch of guys – I don't think I'd like to share this with any other people right now. Never in my wildest dreams did I think this would happen. Even last night, I couldn't really get to sleep. When I got hit for six in the super over I thought it wasn't coming home. We got there in the end, that's all that matters."

Jason Roy speaks: "Speechless, buddy. Speechless. We're gonna party well tonight – but we'll be in before 12, don't worry."

Eoin Morgan: "Jeez. I'd like to offer commiserations to Kane and his team. I thought today was a hard-hard-fought game on a tough wicket. We find it hard to play on pitches like that, but it was all about getting over the line. Towards the end I was being cooled down by Liam Plunkett, which isn't a good sign! We're just delighted we're lifting the trophy today.

"There are a lot of people who've been involved along the way who aren't in the changing-room today: guys like Andrew Strauss, Paul Farbrace, David Willey, Sam Billings and others. It's been an incredible amount of hard work, and it's all worth it for this."

The Alternative Commentary Collective are podcasting their way through the World Cup. Known for their unconventional sports analysis and off-kilter banter, the ACC have come to ask the tough questions. Here's the latest episode of 'The Agenda':

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT