Top 15 Sporting Moments of 2019: Number One - The 2019 Cricket World Cup Final

Ben Stokes dives to make his ground as the throw from Guptill deflects off Stokes' bat to the boundary for four overthrows. Photo / Photosport

In May, the Black Caps travelled to England full of confidence and hope that after 44 years of trying, they could finally win the Cricket World Cup for the first time.

The tournament format had reverted to a full round robin; each of the 10 nations would play all of the others, with just the top four going through to the semis.

Wins for New Zealand over Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan were followed by a rained-out contest with India, then narrow victories over South African and the West Indies.

Unbeaten through six games, New Zealand were on track for the semi-finals, but then suffered a form slump, losing heavily to Pakistan, Australia and England to stumble, rather than storm into the semis by virtue only of a better net run rate over Pakistan.

In the semis they would face India who had won 7 of their 8 completed games and firmly entrenched themselves as favourites to win the tournament.

New Zealand were considered to be little more than a minor inconvenience in India's march to the Big Show - some even suggested the Black Caps should forfeit their place and let Pakistan play the semi instead.

Kane Williamson won the toss in Manchester and elected to bat. Their 239 for 8 was surely never going to be enough to contain an imposing Indian batting line-up which featured a top three of Rahul, Sharma and Kohli - but the NZ bowlers had other ideas.

In dramatic fashion, India were all out for 221 and against all expectations, New Zealand were into a second consecutive World Cup final.

England had made the semis without being totally convincing either, but once there, they thrashed Australia by 8 wickets inside 33 overs at Edgbaston to fly into the final.

It would be England against New Zealand for the 2019 Cricket World Cup.

Neither side had ever won the tournament a new name was about to be etched on the famous trophy.

On a mid-July Sunday at Lord's, after a spot of morning drizzle which delayed the start by 15 minutes, New Zealand captain Kane Williamson again won the toss and elected to bat first.

No-one could possibly have envisaged what was about to unfold over the next 102 overs.

Martin Guptill and Henry Nicholls opened the NZ innings which was eventful from ball one. Guptill had had an unhappy tournament and his early departure saw Williamson join Nicholls and the pair set about building the innings.

Nicholls brought up the first half-century by a New Zealand opener since their first game and the pair added 74 for the second wicket, but then both were out in quick succession.

Latham and Taylor added 23 before Taylor was sawn off. Ball tracking showed the ball missing the stumps, but with no reviews left, Taylor was gone for 15, bringing Latham and Neesham together.

Latham found another willing partner in Colin de Grandhomme and the pair took the score past 200.

New Zealand managed to eke out a few more runs finishing 241 for 8 in 50 overs.

So England needed 242 from their 50 overs to lift the World Cup. Jason Roy and Johnny Bairstow began the chase.

After Roy was dismissed early, Bairstow and Root took England through to 59 for 1 in the 17th over, before NZ struck three times in quick succession.

England were 86 for 4 in the 24th over, still needing 156 runs at more than six per over.

Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler set about resurrecting the innings. As has become custom, Ben Stokes became hero. England had taken back control of the game and were 196 for 4, needing 46 runs off 31 balls with 6 wickets left.

196 for 4 became 203 for 6 but Ben Stokes was still there.

Ben Stokes dives to make his ground as the throw from Guptill deflects off Stokes' bat to the boundary for four overthrows. Photo / Photosport

There were just five runs off Ferguson's excellent 47th over and England were 208 for 6, now needing 34 off 18, before 10 runs came off the 48th over, bowled by Trent Boult.

218 for 6, 24 needed off 12 balls.

Jimmy Neesham bowled over number 49.

And in another dramatic moment, Stokes hit a lofted shot to the boundary which was caught by Trent Boult. However, Boult, not knowing how close he was to the boundary rope, stood on the edge and handed England six runs.

Instead of Stokes departing for 63, with England needing 22 off eight balls and numbers 9 and 10 at the crease, he was still there.

One over to go, 15 needed by England off 6 balls, Stokes facing and Trent Boult with the ball for NZ.

The first two balls were dots as Stokes kept the strike, 15 off four now.

The next deliver - a six.

Nine now needed off 3, but the hand of fate was about to give the Black Caps an almighty slap.

Ben Stokes, diving for his ground as he attempted to complete a second run, inadvertently diverted Guptill's throw off his bat, past wicketkeeper Tom Latham and away to the rope for four more runs.

Stokes immediately apologised, but with no sign he'd changed the course of his run to intercept the throw, it went down as a second consecutive six.

England now needed just 3 off 2 balls. A quick single.

The last ball of the innings, England needed 2 to win with Stokes on strike.

They scramble through for a single.

England's innings had ended at 241 all out with Stokes unbeaten on 84, it was a tie.

For the first time, a Super Over would be needed to decide the winner of the Cricket World Cup.

Both sides would face one over and have two wickets in hand.

It was mentioned, almost in passing, that if the scores were tied after the Super Over, England would win on a little-known boundary countback rule, but surely that wouldn't matter?

England batted first and nominated Stokes and Buttler, Trent Boult would bowl for NZ.

They scored a very competitive 15 runs.

Martin Guptill and Jimmy Neesham were given the responsibility for New Zealand and Jofra Archer would bowl the over for England

With four balls to go and 13 needed, Neesham faced up to Archer and smashed him for six.

Seven needed off four balls.

When it got down to the last two, three runs were needed, and Neesham was on strike.

So two needed off the last ball, Martin Guptill on strike. The man who had such a horrendous tournament, could become a national hero in the space of one ball.

As Archer stormed in, Guptill dispatched it through cover, but not precise enough to pick a gap. As they ran through for the second run, the ball was whistled towards the stumps where Jos Buttler knocked the bails off and denied two runs being scored.

The scores were tied after 50 overs, and tied after the Super Over. But the rules decreed that in the event of a Super Over tie, the side that hit the most boundaries in the match would be declared the winner.

England hit 24 boundaries, NZ had managed just 16.

On the strength of that, England were World Cup winners for 2019.

Many believed, and still believe, that to be a ridiculous separator. In the days following the World Cup, the ICC struck the boundary count-back regulation from its ODI rule-book.

But that didn't help the Black Caps as they watched England celebrate in the evening sunshine at Lord's in front of their home fans, it was to be a second Cricket World Cup in which NZ had made the final, but not taken home the silverware.

Kane Williamson was named Player of the tournament for his 578 runs at an average of 82 and a strike rate of 75, but it was scant consolation for a heartbroken NZ skipper and his side.

Tens of thousands of New Zealanders had stayed up through the night to watch the drama unfold, and it was a sombre sporting public who jammed the lines at Radio Sport in the coming days to console one another, praise Kane Williamson and his men, vent their anger at the rules and rally against the unfairness of it all.

The Black Caps earned widespread praise for their grace and dignity in the wake of the result, and earlier this month were awarded the Christopher Martin-Jenkins Spirit of Cricket award for 2019 by the MCC.

But even now, more than five months on, many New Zealand cricket fans still find the final hard to re-live. Most people still haven't been able to bring themselves to watch a replay or any match highlights.

The whole event isn't really spoken about by many Black Caps fans who had their hopes dashed that night.

To come so close, to in fact tie both the game itself and the Super Over, and yet come away without the World Cup was almost impossible for many to accept, and still is, even now.

It was a final that gripped two nations, but then chewed us Kiwis up and spat us out, to be comforted only by the fact the Black Caps hadn't really lost the game at all.

The 2019 Cricket World Cup Final, it is the number one story of the year on Radio Sport.