By Canadian Press

England wins 1st World Cup in dramatic style

Jul 14, 2019 | 12:02 PM

LONDON — England won the Cricket World Cup for the first time in extraordinary circumstances, beating New Zealand by a tiebreaker of boundaries scored after the match was tied after regulation play and then the first Super Over in the tournament’s history.

England wicketkeeper Jos Buttler ran out Martin Guptill off the last ball of the Super Over as the New Zealand opener scrambled back for a second run that would have earned the Black Caps also their first world title.

Both teams scored 241 after the regulation 50 overs per side, with England hitting 14 off the last over — including a six made up of two runs followed by an accidental four deflected off the bat of the diving Ben Stokes — to tie New Zealand’s 241-8.

That meant the World Cup’s first ever Super Over, which fans watched with hands around their heads and with a rule explainer required on the big screens inside the home of cricket.

Stokes and Jos Buttler were England’s first designated batsmen and they struck 15 — including two fours — off six balls delivered by Trent Boult.

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New Zealand pair Jimmy Neesham and Guptill also struck 15 off Jofra Archer but England won courtesy of a superior boundary count — 22 to 14 — in regulation play.

While New Zealand has lost two straight finals, the country that invented cricket has finally become its world champion. England had previously lost three finals, including one at Lord’s.

After Buttler collected Jason Roy’s throw from deep midwicket and removed the bails with his left hand, England’s players erupted in celebration — but still had an agonizing wait before the decision was confirmed by the TV umpire.

“OUT,” read the message on the big screen after Guptill was shown to be about a yard (meter) out of the crease.

Buttler threw his glove into the sky and was soon mobbed by some teammates. Roy was carried on another’s shoulders. Archer ran off on his own, sliding on his chest across the Lord’s turf.

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More AP cricket: www.apnews.com/Cricket and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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Steve Douglas is at www.twitter.com/sdouglas80

Steve Douglas, The Associated Press