The rarest of rare World Cup final cricket history ever witnessed—England vs. New Zealand, ODI World Cup Final, 2019, Lord’s. Both teams played out of their skins; none of the sides deserved to lose, so the match ended in a draw after the 50th over of the second innings. The same in the Super Over—both teams scored 15 runs. Among the two, one had to lose, and it turned out to be New Zealand.

The way England was announced as the champion of the 2019 ODI World Cup made many cricket fraternities unhappy. Eoin Morgan led England to lift the trophy because they hit more boundaries in the final match than New Zealand. The decision came with a shocker. By then, New Zealand and England, both teams without a World Cup title between them in 44 years of the men's competition. So, automatically, expectations touched the roof regarding the match.

Kane Williamson, with his blazing form, got the man of the tournament award as he scored a total of 578 runs in the championship run. But, in the grand finale, it was Ben Stokes who stole the show that day. England was in huge trouble while the home team was chasing a target of 242. Lockie Ferguson and James Neesham with the ball were top of the game for the Blackcaps, clinching 3 wickets each.

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A twist to break New Zealand's dream at Lord's

Stokes remained on the pitch rock solid and scored an unbeaten 84 off 98 deliveries. The 5^th wicket stand of Stokes and JC Buttler was crucial for England, adding 100 runs in 121 balls. Super Over applied in the contest, with both teams being limited to 241 runs on the scoreboard.

The major twist was yet to come. England and New Zealand concluded their innings for 15 runs each. But New Zealand finished the campaign as the second best of the tournament, and Team England took the center stage with the shiny World Cup.

Rohit Sharma turned the ICC ODI World Cup 2019 into an exhibition to display his brilliant batting skills. From the initial stage of the tournament, the opener was in fine touch, scored 5 centuries, and registered his name in an all-time record chart.

During this WC campaign, the Mumbaikar became the first batter to score five hundreds in an ODI World Cup. The record was previously held by Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara with 4 tons, and Rohit owned 5. India, as a team, failed to perform in the semifinal against New Zealand and was knocked out of the final race. But Rohit's record is still shining on top of the list. He was the highest run getter of the tournament, surpassing David Warner by only 1 run. In 9 matches, with an average of 81.00, he bagged a total of 648 runs. In those 9 WC games, the opener produced 5 centuries.

In the semifinal against NZ at Old Trafford, the batting lineup of Team India collapsed. Three top-order batsmen—KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli—all lost their wickets for 1 run each. Against New Zealand's 239, India, led by MS Dhoni, was able to score only 221 runs. 

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Top 5 batters to score the most centuries in World Cups:

1. Rohit Sharma (2015-2023): 7 centuries 

2. David Warner (2015-2023): 6 centuries 

3. Sachin Tendulkar (1992-2011): 6 centuries 

4. Kumar Sangakkara (2003-2015): 5 centuries 

5. Virat Kohli (2011-2023): 5 centuries 

Centuries from Rohit Sharma in the 2019 World Cup:

1. 122* (144) vs. South Africa 

2. 140 (113) vs Pakistan 

3. 102 (109) vs. England

4. 104 (92) vs. Bangladesh 

5. 103 (94) vs. Sri Lanka