I did not expect to be crying tears of joy when England won its first Cricket World Cup. But I sat on my sofa, with my eyes watering, minutes after Jos Buttler dived for the stumps to give England the victory.
The emotion came partly from the intensity of watching nearly every ball for nine hours of cricket. But I think it also reflected my affection for this England team.
I appreciated the diversity of the team, which included players from England, Ireland, India, Pakistan, Zimbabwe, Barbados, South Africa and Bangladesh. I marveled at the character displayed by New Zealand, not just on Sunday but throughout the tournament. Maybe I was overcome with sadness that the final ended my first World Cup, which I followed for seven weeks. Maybe I cried from exhaustion.
“I don’t think there will be another like this in the history of cricket,” player of the match Ben Stokes said afterward. I am just learning cricket, but I know he’s right.
Throughout the final, I jotted down moments that seemed to define the match as it unfolded.
- The six by Stokes with four balls remaining
- The six by Stokes in the 49th over
- New Zealand getting Buttler out in the 45th over
- The catch by Lockie Ferguson to get Eoin Morgan out for the fourth wicket
- Jonny Bairstow out for the third wicket
- Jimmy Neesham being caught out, to leave New Zealand 173 for 5
They’re not the moments that turned out to be defining. But they mark my experience of a match that all of us who watched will remember for the rest of our lives.
England captain Morgan, who is from Dublin, was asked if the win reflected the luck of the Irish. “We had Allah with us as well,” he said.