England win the Cricket World Cup

Dave Tickner
England win Cricket World Cup PA

ENGLAND WIN THE CRICKET WORLD CUP
They couldn’t be separated in 100 overs. Twelve balls was never going to to do it. England win on boundary countback after 102 overs. I think the final score was 26-17. So a commanding victory really. That is the most extraordinary game of cricket ever, ever played. I have not one word left. It seems a long, long time ago now but remember Ben Stokes’ 84 not out. He’s going to be man of the match. Kolkata 2016 a distant memory now.

Only fair and right, though, that the final word of this World Cup go to it;s breakout star: Jofra Archer’s tweets from several years ago:

New Zealand Super Over: 15/1 (6 balls)
Ball 6: Archer to Guptill: 1, WICKET. ENGLAND WIN THE WORLD CUP! Guptill cannot make good contact, and cannot get back for the second run! Jason Roy – after that misfield earlier in the over – makes no mistake this time and gets his throw close enough to the stumps for Buttler to finish the job. The Super Over is tied and England win!
Ball 5: Archer to Neesham: 1. Guptill has to get two from the final ball. A tie and England will win.
Ball 4: Archer to Neesham: 2. Guptill gets back again. Throw from midwicket goes to the wrong end.
Ball 3: Archer to Neesham: 2. Misfield from Roy! Neesham gets back. Five from three.
Ball 2: Archer to Neesham: SIX! Huge hit! Deep in his crease and smashed over square-leg! New Zealand need seven from four!
Ball 1: Archer to Neesham: 2. Clothed to long-off. Guptill gets back safely.
Ball 1: Archer to Neesham: WIDE. Just. Outside off. Right over the tramline.

1921 BST: Martin Guptill and Jimmy Neesham the first two New Zealand batsmen here. Archer bowling from the Nursery End – bowled all 10 overs in New Zealand’s innings from the Pavilion End. If the Super Over is tied, England will win the World Cup because they’ve hit more boundaries today. I don’t make the rules.

1918 BST: England get the 15 they needed from the final over of the innings in regular time. Funny old game, eh? But you’d absolutely settle for 15 in a Super Over. Every single time. Good luck everyone. New Zealand need…

England Super Over: 15/0 (6 balls)
Ball 6: Boult to Buttler: FOUR! Buttler smacks the last ball of the Super Over to the rope at midwicket.
Ball 5: Boult to Buttler: 2. Whacked into the legside and an exhausted Stokes is able to get back.
Ball 4: Boult to Stokes: 1. Slapped straight to cover. Archer warming up, so he will be bowling for England.
Ball 3: Boult to Stokes: FOUR! Slog-swept into a gap! Almost a yorker, but STokes gets it away.
Ball 2: Boult to Buttler: 1. Heaved to deep square-leg
Ball 1: Boult to Stokes: 3. Sliced to third-man.

1910 BST: Stokes and Buttler for England. Boult the bowler.

1909 BST: A reminder. A Super Over is one bowler bowling six balls and a maximum of three batsmen. Lose two wickets, and you’re all out. Maximum five fielders outside the circle.

1903 BST: I just don’t know what anything is any more. The fielding on those last two balls from New Zealand as England tried to scamper the two they needed was superb. But that ricochet off Stokes’ bat will go down in cricket history if England win this.

England will bat first in the Super Over, and you’d think it will be Stokes and Buttler to begin as the men with their eye in, plus AN Other. Roy probably.

1901 BST: England 241 (50 overs) – MATCH TIED. SUPER OVER!

Over 50: WICKET! Wood run out coming back for a non-existent second run. TIE! SUPER OVER!
Over 49.5: WICKET! Rashid run out coming back for a non-existent second run. England need two from one ball.
Over 49.4: Six! Oh my word. Stokes scampes two, and the throw from the deep ricochets off his bat for four more!
Over 49.3: SIX! Slog-swept over midwicket!
Over 49.2: Dot
Over 49.1: Dot

1852 BST: England 227/8 (49 overs)
Another astonishing over. Boult really should have got rid of that ball to see the back of Stokes, but New Zealand are almost there. England need 15 from six.

WICKET! Jofra Archer b Neesham 0 (1b)
Oh my word. Stokes heaves Neesham to long-on, where Boult takes the catch but steps on the rope before he can offload the ball to Guptill for the relay catch. Just a single from the next ball, though. England need 15 from seven, and Archer has basically a free-hit to end the over. Anything other than one. And it’s out. Slower ball from Neesham, and Archer’s attempt to heave it over the legside comes to nought.

WICKET! Liam Plunkett c Boult b Neesham 10 (10b, 1×4, SR: 100.00)
Just singles from the first two balls of Neesham’s over. The third is in the slot for Plunkett, but he can’t get it over Boult at long-off. England need 22 from nine balls, and it really is sliding away now.

1844 BST: England 218/6 (48 overs)
Stokes gets the first ball of Boult’s over through midwicket for four, but can get just a single from the next. Plunkett heaves to leg for a couple but then makes no contact with a heave across the line. Plunkett makes good contact with a drive down the ground and Stokes scampers back for a second. Just a single for Plunkett to end the over, and England need 24 from 12.

1838 BST: England 208/6 (47 overs)
Just a great over from Ferguson. Superb slower ball beats Plunkett all ends up, and it’s now two runs a ball needed for England. Plunkett is a big strong hitter, though, and gets one away through midwicket for four. Ferguson magnificent against today, and finishes his spell with 3/50. Pace at the start, and all the variations at the end. Superb. England need 34 from 18 balls.

WICKET! Chris Woakes c Latham b Ferguson 2 (4b, SR: 50.00)
Woakes goes for the big shot off Ferguson and skies it straight up in the air. Latham initially misjudges a simple catch but after a last-minute move forward takes the catch safely enough.

1832 BST: England 203/5 (46 overs)
Huge boundary from Stokes to end Neesham’s over, finding a gap at midwicket to just keep things in hand. Four years of planning come down to four overs. England need 39 from 24.

1828 BST: England 196/5 (45 overs)
That required rate just so significant now. Even losing Stokes now wouldn’t have been too bad for England, but losing Buttler is huge. England need 46 from 30 balls.

WICKET! Jos Buttler c sub (Southee) b Ferguson 59 (60b, 6×4, SR: 98.33)
Is that the moment!? Buttler slices Ferguson out to deep point where sub fielder TIm Southee takes a smart low catch. England will have to get over the line without the one man who has made batting look relatively straightforward today.

1822 BST: England 189/4 (44 overs)
Still only six runs from the over, though, as Boult nails his yorker to end the over. England need 53 from 36.

1821 BST: Ben Stokes 50* (81b, 3×4, SR: 61.72)
It’s been far harder work for Stokes, but just as crucial.

1819 BST: Jos Buttler 52* (53b, 5×4, SR: 98.11)
Buttler hits Boult in-to-out over cover to bring up his 50 and the hundred partnership. The job is not remotely done yet, but you cannot put a price on that half-century. Walked out in a World Cup final knowing that if he failed England would lose. Has scored at a runa a ball non a pitch where nobody else could.

1815 BST: England 183/4 (43 overs)
Another brilliant over from Ferguson including a slower ball as Buttler goes for the ramp. Superb delivery, but Buttler somehow manages to hold his shot and get some bat on it. Was hitting the stumps if he didn’t. Astonishing. Buttler gets two for that, and England get six in all from the over. England need 59 from 42.

1811 BST: England 177/4 (42 overs)
England getting into a position where one big over makes all the difference. But big overs still hard to come by. Stunning yorker from Neesham floors Stokes, but only after he’s jabbed his bat down on it. Another excellent if less dramatic yorker to follow from Neesham, and he’s backed up that fine Ferguson over. Just seven runs from the last two overs, and that sends the required rate above eight. To repeat, that doesn’t matter while these two are in. But if a wicket falls it’s key. England need 65 from 48 balls.

1806 BST: England 173/4 (41 overs)
That’s just a great over from Ferguson. Just two singles and a wide from it, along with a bouncer that almost takes Buttler’s head off.

1802 BST: England 170/4 (40 overs)
What on earth were we thinking when we said today might bring new fans to the game? This is excruciating agony. Lifelong fans switching their TVs off and going for a nice walk. Oh, wait a mo, here comes Jos with a ramp for a one-bounce four from Henry’s final delivery. England need 72 from 60 balls. The signs in the last few overs have been… more encouraging. There, I’ve said it.

1758 BST: England 162/4 (39 overs)
Astonishing shot from Stokes, a sort of topspin pull shot off Ferguson that despite not being remotely middled skips away from the fielders pursuing from three different directions and reaches the boundary. I’ve not watched any of Federer v Djokovic today, obviously, but that from Stokes will be better than anything that pair of frauds have served up. Partnership now worth 76. England need 80 from 66.

1754 BST: England 156/4 (38 overs)
England’s 150 comes up as Stokes chops one past his stumps from Neesham. Sun shining brighter now than at any stage of the game but it’s not going to have much effect on the conditions now. Buttler chips one short of mid-on but then plays the same shot to far greater effect next ball to get the ball straight down the ground for four. England need 86 from 72.

1750 BST: England 149/4 (37 overs)
New Zealand go back to their fastest bowler, and Buttler immediately slaps one through point to the fence. Outrageous timing and, as has been the case all day, whenever a batsman has managed to make clean contact, the outfield has been on their side. England need 93 from 78, and the required rate nudges above seven. That’s okay while these two are there.

1745 BST: England 143/4 (36 overs)
New Zealand lose their review on an lbw appeal against Buttler. Henry’s angle from wide on the crease always against him here, and it’s sliding down leg. Correct decision from Dharmasena, and an unusually emotional decision from Williamson you have to say. There were enough things going against that appeal to think that getting it overturned was always a huge long shot. England need 99 from 14 overs.

1741 BST: England 141/4 (35 overs)
Run out chance for New Zealand is gone and Stokes survives. Whether that was the classic drinks-break concentration lapse or what, I don’t know. But Buttlerhas called him through for a horror run here, and even a throw into the keeper’s gloves from Neesham here might have been enough. Another tidy over from Santner, though, and the target is now 101 from the last 15 overs.

1734 BST: England 137/4 (34 overs)
Henry back into the attack after that magic spell with the new ball. New Zealand will probably look to use up his three overs here. Not a renowned death bowler. Three successive twos from Stokes are enough to get the crowd going again. A chip out to deep cover brings with it the 50 partnership and a fresh round of cheers. Not typical Lord’s crowd fare but they are trying to get behind their team. Eight from the over, and that’s drinks.

1729 BST: England 129/4 (33 overs)
Santner is straight into his work. Two tidy overs. This partnership is worth 43 in 10 overs. Reckon it needs to be worth another 43 in the next seven. Ad then another 80 in the next 10. Easy.

1727 BST: England 126/4 (32 overs)
Millimetres away from game over here as Buttler thrashes Boult through point for four but in the air and only just out of reach of a diving Guptill. No future in hitting the ball in the air anywhere near him. England are now over halfway to their target. Another 116 needed, and 108 balls in which to get them.

1723 BST: England 119/4 (31 overs)
Spin for the first time in the innings. Predictably tidy stuff from Santner, almost burgling a wicket as well as Stokes misses an attempted cut at one that was very much there for the shot.

1719 BST: England 115/4 (30 overs)
Williamson brings back Boult. Remember a couple of hours ago when he was the biggest threat? And then bowled two of the most breathtaking new-ball overs imaginable yet now doesn’t have a wicket in six overs? Good times. Anyway, England now need 127 from the last 20 overs of the World Cup final.

1715 BST: England 111/4 (29 overs)
The unplayable de Grandhomme is done. A stunning spell, and a whole new army of FTA viewers quite rightly believing him to be the finest bowler in the world: 10-2-25-1

1711 BST: England 106/4 (28 overs)
Stokes smacks a drive straight back down the ground that almost takes out umpire and bowler before scudding into boundary boards. Hundred up for England. That’s something, isn’t it? Buttler, meanwhile, has made his way to nine not out from eight balls. Doesn’t sound like much for someone who deals in 50-ball hundreds, and indeed isn’t, but given the monumental struggle batting has been for every other England player today it’s still quite striking.

1707 BST: England 98/4 (27 overs)
It’s a de Grandhomme maiden. He’s only got one over left. England will be mighty relieved about that. What a final.

1704 BST: England 98/4 (26 overs)
England’s required rate nudges above a run a ball. “Might not bother Buttler and Stokes,” muses Ian Smith on commentary. “But it might bother some of the other guys down the order.” This is going to come down to Plunkett trying to hit 18 off the last over, isn’t it?

1659 BST: England 93/4 (25 overs)
Four singles from the de Grandhomme over. That’s how these two have to play now. If England are to win, you’d think it needs something like 75/0 from the next 15 overs. There’s flexibility with the 75, but not with the 0.

1655 BST: England 89/4 (24 overs)
England still have some batting to come, but it’s hard to see them winning this game without a significant partnership from this pair. Stokes and Buttler will have to do a great deal of the work here. Remember the games when everyone’s absolutely furious that England have waited too long to get Buttler in? Those games seem like great fun now, don’t they?

WICKET! Eoin Morgan c Ferguson b Neesham 9 (22b, SR: 40.90)
New Zealand HUGE favourites now! Neesham strikes first ball, but this is all about a superb catch from Ferguson running in from deep point as Morgan swats a short ball out to the fielder.

1649 BST: England 86/3 (23 overs)
Stokes runs at de Grandhomme and gets him away over midwicket for four. That brings Latham up to the stumps.

1644 BST: England 82/3 (22 overs)
Perfect bouncer from Ferguson flicks Morgan’s helmet on its way through to Latham. Brutal delivery, and follows it with another short ball that is too short. Sails over both Morgan and Latahm for five wides. Such a bizarre spectacle at the moment. At one end you’ve got de Grandhomme bowling at 75mph and at the other Ferguson at 92mph. Both proving an absolute nightmare to bat against.

1639 BST: England 75/3 (21 overs)
De Grandhomme close to unplayable right now. Three in a row go past Stokes’ outside edge, and de Grandhomme has figures of 1/14 from six overs.

1636 BST: England 73/3 (20 overs)
Ben Stokes has been England’s best batsman in tough conditions at this tournament. They need another special from him here.

WICKET! Jonny Bairstow b Ferguson 36 (55b, 7×4, SR: 65.45)
The odds may still say different, but for mine New Zealand have just gone favourites for the first time. Another inside edge from Bairstow, and this time he doesn’t get away with it. The ball cannons into the Zing bails, and England are three down and still neeing another 171. That looks just an enormous pile of runs right now.

1630 BST: England 66/2 (19 overs)
Morgan uses his feet and aims to hit over cover off de Grandhomme and just about succeeds. Gets two unconvincing runs for that, and then adds a single to long-leg. Not remotely a problem just yet but keep an eye on that required rate. It’s now 5.67 and very much trending upwards. Another bit of business taken care of: de Grandhomme’s wicket of Root confirms both Mitchell Starc as top wicket-taker and Rohit Sharma as top batsman.

1626 BST: England 63/2 (18 overs)
First short ball from Ferguson to Morgan and it’s hit in the air down towards long-leg, but safely. Just about. It’s okay. It’s all going to be okay. Definitely. Possibly.

1621 BST: England 60/2 (17 overs)
And here comes Eoin Morgan, with Lockie Ferguson just starting his spell. Fun and games. This, meanwhile, feels like a very significant stat despite width taking the wickets. Pressure, pressure, pressure. England being asked questions almost every ball.

WICKET! Joe Root c Latham b de Grandhomme 7 (30b, SR: 23.33)
Pure pressure. Root has a huge hack at de Grandhomme and makes no contact but then the very next ball he chases a wide swinging delivery and edges through to Latham. New Zealand have been all over England throughout this innings. They can celebrate that richly deserved second wicket with a drink. Serious thinking needed by England here. They’re doing neither one thing nor the other at the moment. The run-rate is going nowhere yet they are still taking a whole bunch of risks – in Root’s case horribly uncharacteristic ones.

1615 BST: England 59/1 (16 overs)
Lockie Ferguson, with his name and face like a World War Two fighter pilot and his black trainers and his 150km/h rockets, is into the attack. Immediately goes past Bairstow’s inside edge.

1611 BST: England 56/1 (15 overs)
For the first time in this innings, a sighting of the usual ODI Root as he steers a drive through the infield for two and then dabs behind square for a single. England fans just starting to breathe again. But this is unspeakably tense.

1608 BST: England 51/1 (14 overs)
It is Henry to continue, and he’s gone past the outside edge again before falling into the classic bowler’s trap of going for a magic ball and drifting it into Bairstow’s pads. He’s equal to the task and pings it through midwicket for four. And gets four more next ball, but it’s that chop past the stumps he’s played – and got away with – a few times in this tournament when that bottom hand takes over and the bat comes down across the line of the ball. Keeps the strike with a single. Just have to keep telling yourself batting will get easier the longer you’re out there. Even if you don’t really believe it.

1605 BST: England 42/1 (13 overs)
Bairstow knocks de Grandhomme into the legside for a single to end a 19-ball drought for England. Another tidy over from de Grandhomme. New Zealand of course still have Lockie Ferguson up their sleeve. Big decision here is what to do with Henry. He’s bowling so well right now, and these two batsmen are so important, that the temptation to just keep him going – for all 10 if need be – must be huge. England need exactly 200 to win. It looks absolutely loads right now.

1601 BST: England 39/1 (12 overs)
Three maidens in a row. But at least the sun is out now. No higher praise for this bowling than the fact that you normally look up when Root comes in and find that he’s 20 not out off 20 balls without telling anyone. Right now he’s two not out off 19.

1557 BST: England 39/1 (11 overs)
Has Colin de Grandhomme just dropped the World Cup? He starts with a maiden – England haven’t scored a run for 13 balls now – but it should have been so much better. Bairstow chips a drive straight back at de Grandhomme, but he shells what is as simple a caught and bowled as you’re going to get. Came straight to him at belly-button height and wasn’t coming at any great pace.

1555 BST: England 39/1 (10 overs)
Maiden over from Henry to end the Powerplay. Superb from both New Zealand’s new-ball bowlers, and England are pretty lucky to have lost only one wicket you’d have to say. Still big movement here as Henry snakes one past Root’s outside edge.

1551 BST: England 39/1 (9 overs)
Good from Bairstow, solid and watchful against Boult but alert and capable to cash in when the bowler tries something different. Boult goes for the surprise short ball having pitched pretty much everything up so far, and Bairstow is on it in a flash to nail a pull shot to the square-leg fence.

1547 BST: England 34/1 (8 overs)
Root off the mark with a single to cover before Bairstow is beaten by a half-volley that swings and swings late. That has gone miles right at the last moment. For 90% of its journey down the pitch it just looked like an easy drive ball. Takes something to beat the bat with something that full. New Zealand have bowled far fuller than England.

1543 BST: England 33/1 (7 overs)
This one delivery is the best cricket I’ve seen at this World Cup. A pretty much perfect delivery from Boult. Great length, swinging back in to Bairstow, and he’s absolutely pinged an on-drive between keeper and mid-on for four. That’s just a ridiculous half a second of cricket. A million FTA viewers won over to our game in an instant.

1539 BST: England 28/1 (6 overs)
Superb over from Henry, and hard to the point of impossibility to argue New Zealand don’t deserve that breakthrough. The next few hours are going to be hideously unmissable.

WICKET! Jason Roy c Latham b Henry 17 (20b, 3×4, SR: 85.00)
Henry gets huge reward for holding his nerve here. Driven on the up through the covers for four but keeps throwing it up there. Roy is beaten by one and edges the next, Latham taking a smart low catch.

1534 BST: England 24/0 (5 overs)
Boult overpitches a couple. Think we can let him off, to be honest. Two boundaries driven through the covers, though, to get Bairstow’s innings up and running. The first of those boundaries took Bairstow passed 500 runs for the tournament.

1529 BST: England 16/0 (4 overs)
Can hardly watch this. Henry beats Roy twice with balls that jag away off the pitch. Roy down the track and hitting over the top to end the over. No timing, but gets it over the fielder at mid-on and collects two.

1525 BST: England 12/0 (3 overs)
Boult looks like getting a wicket with every ball right now. Apart from the big bad wide he shoves outside Bairstow’s off stump. England’s openers – who are on the back of three successive hundred partnerships remember – are so all at sea that they almost forget to run a single when Bairstow chops one past his stumps down to fine-leg. Roy pretty much jumps over the top of another swinging yorker from Boult before in true F this fashion walking down the pitch and thrashing the ball through point for four. Gets a single to keep the strike, which right now looks a very questionable tactic. The world’s top boffins could dedicate their entire careers to working out how Boult is wicketless through those two overs and never come close to finding an answer. I mean, they probably shouldn’t. Climate change probably a bigger priority.

1521 BST: England 5/0 (2 overs)
Does Roy even have stumps? Henry beats him on the inside and outside edges before Roy shrugs it all off to pump a half-volley straight back down the ground for four. The next few hours are going to be close to unbearable.

1517 BST: England 1/0 (1 over)
Goodness gracious me. What a start to the innings. Boult right on the money first ball, ripping Roy’s front pad off with a big inswinger. Marais Erasmus says not out, which seems mad. Madder yet Hawk-Eye has the ball knocking leg stump out of the ground but not quite within the grounds required to turn the amber light red. That is an absolutely massive let-off. Extraordinary. Just looked absolutely dead in real time and on every replay right up until the Hawk-Eye graphic.

1510 BST: And we’re ready to go for the run-chase.

1448 BST: Honestly no idea what to make of that total. Boult and Henry should be a real handful on this pitch, that’s for sure. England have won two and lost one chasing totals in this range at this tournament, and the loss was without Roy. But who knows. This is a World Cup final and that does change things. For everyone. All I will say is this. If you’re old enough, try and remember all the way back to the opening game of the tournament when everyone was worried that England’s 311 against South Africa was below par. A lot has changed, hasn’t it?

1442 BST: New Zealand 241/8 (50 overs)
Just 22 runs from Archer’s five death overs. That’s a great effort from England to keep New Zealand firmly in check at the back of the innings. New Zealand scramble to 241/8. It shouldn’t be enough. In a bilateral game it would not be enough. In a World Cup final, on a pitch that has offered a bit of something to bowlers all day – and all tournament – it is competitive. England would give almost anything for a fourth consecutive hundred partnership between Bairstow and Roy, that’s for sure.

WICKET! Matt Henry b Archer 4 (2b, 1×4, SR: 200.00)
After a bouncer is harshly wided to get New Zealand to 240, Archer knocks over Henry’s off stump with a full-toss. Hit top of off, they say. Nobody said the ball had to bounce first.

1437 BST: New Zealand 238/7 (49 overs)
More drama in this 49th over. Huge beamer from Woakes as he goes for the yorker and Santner does well to avoid getting cleaned up by it. No-ball, obviously, and a free-hit for Santner to make up for the scare he’s just suffered. Swing and a miss. Matt Henry smashes his first ball over midwicket for four. Woakes got it wrong, right in the slot, and Henry took full toll. Ropey final over from Woakes, but a great performance form such a key player for England – he finishes his work – for now – with 3/37 from nine.

WICKET! Tom Latham c sub (Vince) b Woakes 47 (56b, 2×4, 1×6, SR: 83.92)
Eventful over from Woakes. Burns England’s review late in the piece on an lbw shout against Latham that pitches outside leg, then stuffs a nightmare slower ball down the legside and watches in horror as Buttler muffs it on the second bounce and one bonus run for New Zealand becomes five. Gets the slower ball right next up, though, and Latham pops up a simple catch to that man Your James Vinces at mid-off. New Zealand are 232/7 with three balls of the 49th over to go.

1429 BST: New Zealand 225/6 (48 overs)
No wickets still for Archer today, but these last couple of overs in particular have been an absolute exhibition of death bowling.

1425 BST: New Zealand 220/6 (47 overs)
Fine stuff from Woakes. Definite assist for Archer on that wicket, but Woakes coming back for his first bowl since the 13th over of the innings and getting it spot on.

WICKET! Colin de Grandhomme c sub (Vince) b Woakes 16 (28b, SR: 57.14)
Softened up by Archer, dismissed by Woakes. Slower ball from Woakes and a big leading edge from Big Colin loops to mid-off where Your James Vinces, on as a sub for Wood, gets to make a contribution to a World Cup final. So that’s a nice thing to happen, isn’t it?

1419 BST: New Zealand 214/5 (46 overs)
Just a sensational over of death bowling from Archer. No two balls the same. Short, full, slow, fast and de Grandhomme all at sea. Only three singles from the over and that’s a huge result for England at this stage. Wood has gone off the field by the way. If England need him later, then they’ve got bigger problems than his ribs, though.

1415 BST: Mark Wood in some discomfort after bowling his final over there. Holding his ribs and looking pretty displeased with life for a chap who’s just bowled a decent spell in a World Cup final.

1414 BST: New Zealand 211/5 (45 overs)
Latham has played a few of the shots of the day here in what has generally been a fairly low-key innings. This is the best of the lot, picking up a full delivery from Wood and getting it over the longest boundary on the ground at midwicket. Pure timing that, with a checked followthrough. De Grandhomme just about makes his ground after being sent back by Latham after initial thoughts of a nonsense second run to third-man. Wood bowls out with 1/49 from his 10 overs. Presumably Woakes to bowl the last two overs from that end; for all his new-ball skill, Woakes at the death is surely a bowler New Zealand must target here.

1408 BST: New Zealand 204/5 (44 overs)
De Grandhomme hit again, but it’s a slower-ball bouncer this time that thuds into his back and bounces away for a leg-bye. New Zealand’s 200 comes up thanks to another short ball from Archer that is called wide before a de Grandhomme miscue lands just short of Stokes at cover. He’s the man England want here. He’s the difference, potentially, between 230 and 260 here. Another short slower ball from Archer, and again de Grandhomme is through the shot and hit on the back for a painful leg-bye. Two wides down the legside, though, and these could be costly in the final analysis for England. Eleven wides in this innings now.

1404 BST: New Zealand 196/5 (43 overs)
England are bombing de Grandhomme here. Gets four bonus runs as his attempt to duck under Wood’s bouncer ricochets off his back, over Buttler and away to the boundary. Good running next ball gets two runs for a flick to long-leg. Rashid attacks the ball well but he has one of the weaker arms in this England team and they get back comfortably.

1400 BST: New Zealand 186/5 (42 overs)
Archer back to bowl out the innings from the Pavilion End and hits another batsman on the head. There’s top edge involved in this one before it thuds into de Grandhomme’s lid, but the ball balloons to safety at third-man.

1354 BST: New Zealand 181/5 (41 overs)
Brilliant over from Plunkett to end his spell. Beat de Grandhomme twice and finishes with 3/42 from his 10 overs. Absolutely mad that even halfway through this tournament England weren’t sure he should be in the team.

1351 BST: New Zealand 179/5 (40 overs)
Another bit of Bairstow madness on the madness saves two runs as Colin de Grandhomme heaves Wood into the legside.

1346 BST: New Zealand 173/5 (39 overs)
That wicket fell to the final ball of the 39th over. In other words, it is the final middle-overs delivery Plunkett will ever bowl at a World Cup. At 34, it might be the last he ever bowls for England. So fitting.

WICKET! James Neesham c Root b Plunkett 19 (25b, 3×4, SR: 76.00)
Three for Plunkett, the middle-over specialist par excellence. Neesham had just smacked him through the offside for four in grand style, but then tried to clear mid-on but scuffs it horribly. Simple catch for Joe Root and another promising New Zealand partnership is shut down.

1340 BST: New Zealand 165/4 (38 overs)
Latham has, from pretty much nowhere, played the best two shots of the day. After that stunning pick-up in the last over a picture-perfect cover-drive in this one that absolutely races across the outfield. Not a half-volley from Wood, just a shot of the purest class. Next ball whistles past the outside edge.

1336 BST: New Zealand 159/4 (37 overs)
Super shot from Latham, rocking back and nailing a Plunkett short ball over long-leg. Bounces an inch inside the rope.

1331 BST: New Zealand 153/4 (36 overs)
This is some return from Wood after a vaguely underwhelming first spell. This one’s returned figures of 2-1-1-1.

1327 BST: New Zealand 152/4 (35 overs)
A boundary! Super shot from Neesham as well, whipping the ball from middle stump through midwicket. You know you’ve hit it well when Bairstow can’t get round to cut it off. Stokes stuffs the next one down the legside and then serves up a long-hop that Neesham crunches wide of mid-on. That’s a poor over from Stokes really when England really needed to keep their foot on the throat, but hats off to Neesham for a well-judged counter-attack. New Zealand had been too passive for too long.

1322 BST: New Zealand 141/4 (34 overs)
And Hawk-Eye confirms it’s too high. And it’s Erasmus as well. Martin Guptill finding somewhere to hide in the Lord’s dressing rooms right now. Anyway, the finest Tweeter ever to play in a World Cup final is at the crease. New Zealand need a contribution from Jimmy Neesham here. Wicket-maiden from Wood to start his second spell. Huge slice of luck with the wicket, but it was a good delivery and he’s backed it up with five more.

WICKET! Ross Taylor lbw b Wood 15 (31b, SR: 48.38)
Oof. This is a huge wicket but it looks high on first view. First ball of Wood’s spell nips back – still plenty there for the bowlers – but hits Taylor well above the knee-roll. No review available, though, after Guptill’s error earlier. That might have cost Taylor and New Zealand dearly here.

1316 BST: New Zealand 141/3 (33 overs)
Good over for New Zealand thanks to a wide from Stokes and a couple of leg-byes off Taylor’s hip. Seven runs in total. Very clear that the Black Caps’ plan is India semi-final redux now. Get to 250 or somewhere round about, and then squeeze like mad with the ball. They will absolutely need early wickets, but they will absolutely have the conditions in which to get them.

1311 BST: New Zealand 134/3 (32 overs)
Accumulation off Rashid very much the focus now. It’s been a very long time since a boundary.

1305 BST: New Zealand 130/3 (31 overs)
Smart first over from Stokes. That’s going to be drinks at what feels like such a massive juncture in this final. New Zealand are well positioned for 250+, which will put so much pressure on an England run-chase. But they’ve also had the innings strangled in the last 10 overs or so and with just all-rounders to come you can just as easily see a scenario where New Zealand fold for 200.

1302 BST: Stokes replaces Plunkett. Usefull spell.

1301 BST: New Zealand 126/3 (30 overs)
Rashid getting better and better as the spell goes on. Almost sneaks one past Taylor as he advances down the track, but he just manages to get a bottom-edge that bounces into the pitch and over Buttler. Meanwhile, we might genuinely be on for one of those ‘double-the-score-at-30-overs’ innings.

1258 BST: New Zealand 123/3 (29 overs)
Just a single from a fantastic Plunkett over. Meanwhile, on Sky Sports Cricket Ian Ward has just welcomed viewers on More4 and told Channel 4 viewers they’ll need to change the channel. What a day.

1255 BST: New Zealand 122/3 (28 overs)
New Zealand have played Rashid pretty well today. Just milked him for 32 from six overs without taking a chance. Also makes clear that New Zealand reckon 250 puts them massively in the game here. Telling that all three quick wickets have come when England have gone full. Boult and Henry going to pose a huge threat later.

1250 BST: New Zealand 118/3 (27 overs)
Key partnership now between Taylor and Latham. It’s the all-rounders to come after this pair.

WICKET! Henry Nicholls b Plunkett 55 (77b, 4×4, SR: 71.42)
Two huge middle-over breakthroughs for England, and it’s that middle-over genius Plunkett again. Full, cross-seam delivery and it cannons into the stumps via a healthy inside edge from Nicholls. Just a bit loose from the set batsman there, and England have struck a couple of crucial blows just when they needed them. New Zealand were just starting to get on top. No longer.

1244 BST: New Zealand 114/2 (26 overs)
Five singles from Rashid’s over. Taylor already using his feet against the leg-spinner to decent effect.

1242 BST: Henry Nicholls 50* (71b, 4×4, SR: 70.42)
Great effort from a man with no form coming into the game. Learned his lesson with that lbw review as well. Looking a bigger moment in this final than it perhaps did at the time.

1242 BST: New Zealand 109/2 (25 overs)
Inevitable lull in the game as Taylor gets himself in.

1237 BST: New Zeealand 108/2 (24 overs)
Rashid still being picked off here. But this happened against Australia and then he was unplayable in the second half of his spell, so let’s wait and see. Plunkett, meanwhile, has a remarkable list of scalps at this tournament.

1233 BST: New Zealand 103/2 (23 overs)
Imagine if England had reviewed that Gupttill caught behind earlier. Good grief. Anyway, Ross Taylor is in at four so things don’t get a whole load easier for England just yet.

WICKET! Kane Williamson c Buttler b Plunkett 30
Massive, massive, MASSIVE. Plunkett pulls the best middle-over wicket yet out of his hat as Williamson feathers the ball through to Buttler. Dharmasena gave it not out because of course he did, but England’s review is instant and Ultra-Edge does the rest.

1226 BST: New Zealand 102/1 (22 overs)
The hundred comes up for New Zealand and a dark sense of foreboding envelopes all England fans. There’s a bit more noise at Lord’s now at least, because the Barmy Army appear to have found an effects mic in which to bellow songs about themselves.

1222 BST: New Zealand 98/1 (21 overs)
Glorious cover-drive from Williamson as Wood overpitches, but a remarkable full-length diving stop from Bairstow saves a run. Nothing wrong with that groin, then. Nicholls gets two more for a cut down to third-man, Rashid this time doing well to prevent the boundary. The game and the crowd have gone quiet. That’s very good news for New Zealand. England in need of a spark from somewhere here. Game drifting and you cannot overstate how much pressure will be on when England come to chase this afternoon.

1218 BST: New Zealand 91/1 (20 overs)
Looks like Williamson is going to target Rashid. Probably very shrewd. He usually is. Goes over mid-on again, but times it properly this time and gets four. Once again seven in total from the over, and New Zealand going along very nicely now.

1214 BST: New Zealand 84/1 (19 overs)
This is just starting to look a little bit ominous. Both batsmen collecting runs easily now from England’s spinner and back-up seamers. Nicholls gets four off Wood with a gorgeously timed steer behind point. That mad swing Wood somehow got in his firsst over very much a thing of the past now, but he does push Nicholls back with a ferocious bouncer that is actually pretty well played by the New Zealand opener. Get up on his toes and keeps it down. New Zealand have approached this innings the exact way England approached one-day cricket between 1992 and 2015. Build a platform, keep wickets in hand, try to whack your way to somewhere near 300 late on. Absolute banter if it wins them the game against New England today.

1210 BST: New Zealand 77/1 (18 overs)
England should consider taking a wicket here imvho. Rashid into the attack for the final’s first over of spin, and he’s picked off for runs off every ball. Five singles, and a two when Williamson goes over the top of mid-on. Toe of the bat, so doesn’t reach the boundary.

1206 BST: New Zealand 70/1 (17 overs)
Good over from Wood, but this partnership is developing nicely for New Zealand. Batting looking far easier than it did against the new ball. New Zealand have, at the very, very least, got themselves firmly into the game.

1202 BST: New Zealand 68/1 (16 overs)
Nicholls pulls Plunkett away for four more and then collects another run with a flick off his pads. Nicholls proving the key man for New Zealand, just as we all predicted.

1155 BST: New Zealand 63/1 (15 overs)
Wow. Huge amounts of swing here for Wood in his first over. Not sure where this has come from, but it’s a bonus. First ball of the over beats a big drive from Williamson and is very harshly wided by Dharmasena. Personally I’ve always felt that a wide should require a batsman to be playing no shot. But that’s a long debate for another day. Short ball to end the over, and it’s gloved down the legside for four by Williamson. Pretty safe, if not fully convincing. That will be drinks after what is now a very, very decent start for New Zealand.

1150 BST: New Zealand 55/1 (14 overs)
New Zealand reach 50 with just one wicket down. They’d certainly have taken that even after deciding to bat first. It’s a poor over from Plunkett, really. Back of a length and offering width allowing singles to be taken without much fuss, and then a leg-stump half-volley for Nicholls to put away behind square-leg for four.

1145 BST: New Zealand 47/1 (13 overs)
Big leg-before appeal against Williamson, but it’s too high. No real thought of a review. Straight drive from Williamson has Nicholls desperately scrambling back for his ground but Woakes fields cleanly. England bowling superbly well at Williamson here. He’s got two from 21 balls and is having to scrap like mad. He’ll love it, though.

1140 BST: New Zealand 46/1 (12 overs)
Plunkett into the attack. Bowling in a World Cup final 12 years after his previous World Cup in the Caribbean. Mad. He, like both new-ball bowlers, soon gives Nicholls a crack on the pads but again the length is too short to threaten the stumps. To be fair, Plunkett’s gameplan with the slightly older ball doesn’t often involve threatening the stumps. Nicholls gets a quick single that turns into two with nobody able to back up Root’s shy at the stumps. Gets two more balls into the legside for a couple more conventional twos. Despite the loss of Guptill (and the review) this is a very tidy start for New Zealand. Run-rate is also perfectly decent based on the evidence of what constitutes a winning total in both this tournament and on this ground.

1135 BST: New Zealand 40/1 (11 overs)
Shot from Nicholls, pinging a rare loose ball from Woakes to the cover-point fence off the back foot. Forces Morgan to put the man back on the boundary, which saves three runs from the very next ball.

1131 BST: New Zealand 33/1 (10 overs)
Williamson off the mark with a quick single from the 12th ball he faces. That’s quality bowling from both Woakes and Archer. Big nip-backer from Archer hits Nicholls on the back leg but far too high to interest Erasmus. New Zealand have, probably, come through Archer’s opening spell unscathed. Big tick for them. TV graphic shows not one ball from Archer this morning would have hit the stumps.

1127 BST: New Zealand 31/1 (9 overs)
England bowling very full and very well to Williamson early on here. So obvious but he’s so important to how this final turns out. Every chance that 250 is enough here, and if there’s a batsman in the world you wanted to get your side to a total of 250 in an ODI it would be Williamson.

1123 BST: New Zealand 30/1 (8 overs)
Archer jags one past Williamson’s outside edge. Close to unplayable. Keeps swinging after passing the bat which makes it look to some parts of the ground like it must have found the edge. Variation on the most standard bump-ball crowd catch there.

1118 BST: New Zealand 29/1 (7 overs)
Woakes ends a superb over with one that snakes past Williamson’s outside edge. Maybe it was a good toss to lose again. What a sport. That lbw was comfortably the fullest ball Woakes has bowled. Only took the entire Australia defeat here and the first six overs of this one for England to learn that particular lesson.

WICKET! Martin Guptill lbw b Woakes 19 (18b, 2×4, 1×6, SR: 105.55)
This time Woakes does get the breakthrough. Nicholls looked out, but this one looks like one where you might actually walk. Guptill sees things differently, though, and with a second left on the clock decides to review. That looks.. optimistic. But, in his defence, it is Dharmasena and Hawk-Eye shows the ball was only knocking two of the three stumps out of the ground. Review lost, and here comes Kane Williamson after what, for him in this tournament, has been something of a pleasant lie-in.

1111 BST: New Zealand 28/0 (6 overs)
This was not a good toss to lose.

1107 BST: New Zealand 24/0 (5 overs)
Just two singles from the over, but the swing has gone already as has been the case throughout the tournament. England took full advantage of the new ball(s) against Australia in the semi-final. They have not been able to do so today. England haven’t done much wrong, but cricket is a game of tiny margins at times.

1102 BST: New Zealand 22/0 (4 overs)
Gupttil was always going to have a go today. Whether it works or not, it’s the right decision. He’s been in shocking form, but don’t die wondering. This is great batting as he carves Archer over the ropes at third-man for the first six of the final and then drills a drive straight back past the bowler’s head. Been a couple of extremely hairy moments, but this is a great start for New Zealand now.

1058 BST: New Zealand 10/0 (3 overs)
Nicholls given out lbw to a Woakes nip-backer but doesn’t repeat the mistake he made in the group game when he failed to review an lbw from Woakes that was clearing the bails. Reviews this time and it’s clearing the bails by a millimetre. The key to that was that given where it hit him it was always likely to be umpire’s call at worst. Good review. Not a shocker from Dharmasena, though. He has given a few shockers in this tournament but that looked an entirely fair decision in real time. As ever, though, the stumps are shorter and wider than we always thought.

1053 BST: New Zealand 8/0 (2 overs)
Beauty from Archer goes past Guptill’s outside edge and flicks his back pocket on its way through to Buttler. TV graphic gave it out, and Jofra was convinced. Marais Erasmus says no, and Eoin Morgan wisely decides against using his review. Superb early decision from the best umpire around at the moment. I really thought England were going to review that, because Archer and others were convinced. These early overs are so big here.

1050 BST: Here comes Jofra.

1049 BST: New Zealand 5/0 (1 over)
Huh, well there you go. Big swinging wide from Woakes to start the World Cup, and big swinging whoosh from Guptill. Both men calm down for the next few balls before Guptill gives it ‘the full McCullum’ and comes down the track to Woakes. No timing as he cloths it to cover. He gets off the mark in style with a more conventional shot, punched behind point off the back foot. Outfield seems quick enough. It was in the air but well out of the range of even Ben Stokes.

1045 BST: Can you read anything into the way a player makes his way to the middle? Martin Guptill, with barely a run in the tournament, has marched out to the middle like a man determined to change his stars.

1042 BST: Anthems are done. Phase win for New Zealand.

1038 BST: The players are on the outfield, both squads streaming past the trophy on its little plinth there. Now the anthems.

1036 BST: Sky have burned through every montage and feature they have to get through this 15-minute delay. Think we’ve all had enough of arty editing and plinky-plonky piano now. Cricket now please.

1026 BST: One thing’s for sure, this will definitely have been a good toss to lose unless it wasn’t.

1019 BST: All four group games here won by the side batting first and none of them have been particularly close. And yet two of the teams batting first got 300, something New Zealand haven’t managed in the whole tournament. And teams winning the toss and batting first have only a 9-12 record at Lord’s in ODIs. More stats and such here.

1017 BST: Batting first, getting a total and squeezing is probably New Zealand’s best route to victory. England have more ways to win you’d think, and Eoin Morgan is entirely unfussed about losing the toss. Calls it a 50-50 decision whether to bat or bowl first and doesn’t actually confirm which way he’d have gone. I’d say it’s one of those where losing the toss and having to bowl is fine, but you perhaps wouldn’t want the pressure of having chosen to bowl first. Basically I’m saying #GoodTossToLose there, but it does feel like it might be.

Both teams unchanged, as expected. Jonny Bairstow fully fit after that groin injury on Thursday.

1015 BST: New Zealand win the toss and bat. Kane Williamson: “If you look at the surface it looks like a bat first surface, but then you look up.”

1012 BST: Brendon McCullum was just asked what New Zealand’s openers should do. He said give it the charge in the first over.

1007 BST:

1002 BST: On what could be English cricket’s greatest day, a reminder of its worst.

1000 BST: Jofradamus.

0951 BST: Delayed start. Only a little bit. The toss will be at 1015 BST ahead of a 1045 BST start. How this affects the current #GoodTossToLose stats to be confirmed. Forecast suggests we should stay dry for the rest of the day, but the pitch looks enormously green.

0947 BST: Reminder that World Cup dark-horse underdogs New Zealand are officially one of the reasons Cricket Is The Greatest Sport.

0943 BST: Officially #GoodTossToLose territory here.

0932 BST: Sky currently showing a full-length Ashes preview featuring Mark Butcher singing The Times They Are A-Changin’ in front of a Channel 4 audience. Sky aren’t daft.

0925 BST: Harry Kane, he’s one of our own.

0922 BST: If you support anyone other than New Zealand and England then you’re probably thinking about how unfair it is that your team isn’t in the final. We hear you.

0920 BST: The rain seems to have gone now at Lord’s. So that’s good. Get all the lowdown on the famous old venue here.

0915 BST: Both teams have had an interesting route to the final. New Zealand picked up all their 11 points in the first six group games, losing their last three to stumble into the semi-final where they promptly pulled group winners India’s pants down. England threw in a pair of genuinely awful performances against Sri Lanka and Australia to put themselves on the brink of a humiliating early exit. Since then, they have been unstoppable with three spectacular performances back-to-back against India, New Zealand and then in the semi-final against Australia. That was perhaps the single greatest ODI performance this team has ever produced – you can check out the definitive match report on that game here. Anyway, the form of the two teams is just one of the many things discussed in our all-encompassing preview. Read it here before it becomes meaningless.

0906 BST: The rain has stopped.

0900 BST: Here it is, then. There will be a new name on the men’s Cricket World Cup trophy. England are in the World Cup final. Four years after deciding to follow the New Zealand blueprint of all-out aggression, it has delivered them – via a couple of iffy moments – to the game that will define them. Up against them is a New Zealand side that has reached the final on the back of a traditional, conservative and ultimately very English style of one-day cricket. Got to laugh.

Three times England have lost in a men’s Cricket World Cup final, but the last of those was back in 1992. New Zealand were beaten into the dirt by Australia in the last final four years ago. England are massive, massive favourites here – and the last five men’s World Cup finals have all been won handily by the favourites, although four of those were Australia – but New Zealand love flying under the radar. Managing to beat India in a semi-final to get to a final and still be under the radar is great Black Caps areas.

Oh, and it’s currently raining at Lord’s.