London [UK]: New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson was announced as the player of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup on Sunday at the Lord's Cricket Ground. With this feat, Williamson became the second skipper to win the player of the tournament in the history of World Cup. New Zealand's Martin Crowe had achieved the feat in 1992 World Cup.
"Look, it certainly wasn't just one extra run. So many small parts in that match that could have gone either way as we saw. Congratulations to England on a fantastic campaign. It's been challenging, the pitches have been a little different to what we expected. Lots of talk of 300-plus scores, but we haven't seen many of those," Williamson said at the post-match ceremony.
"I'd like to thank the New Zealand team for the fight they showed to keep us in the tournament and get us this far. A tie in the final. So many parts to it. The players are shattered at the moment. Obviously, it's devastating. They've performed at such a high level through the tournament," he added. Williamson went on to score 578 runs in the tournament and he even registered centuries against South Africa and West Indies in the 2019 World Cup. The right-handed batsman finished at the fourth spot in the leading run-scorer list for the World Cup.
The final between England and New Zealand was one for the ages as the match between both these sides did not have a winner after 50-over and super over action. In the end, England was announced as the winner as they had hit more boundaries in the match. With this win, England lifted their maiden 50-over World Cup title. "There wasn't a lot in that game, jeez. I'd like to commiserate with Kane. The fight, the spirit they showed. I thought it was a hard, hard game. This has been a four-year journey, we've developed a lot over those years, particularly the last two. To get over the line today means the world to us," Morgan said at the post-match ceremony.
"The guys in the middle keep us cool, the way they play, the experience. It's calming at times. Not a lot between the teams. Just delighted we're lifting the trophy today. As long as he wasn't too cooked [sending Stokes back out for the Super Over]. Full credit to those two boys and Jofra. Every time he plays, he improves. The world is really at his feet at the moment," he added.
New Zealand had won the toss and opted to bat first. The Kiwis posted a score of 241/8 in the allotted fifty overs. Henry Nicholls top-scored for the Black Caps as he played a knock of 55 runs, whereas Chris Woakes and Liam Plunkett scalped three wickets each for England. Chasing a moderate target, England kept on losing wickets at regular intervals and in the final over they needed 15 runs to win. England had the rub of the green going their way as Martin Guptill's throw went to the boundary, giving England four runs due to an over-throw. But New Zealand managed to keep their nerve to take the match into the Super Over. In the Super Over, both teams managed to score 15 runs each, but England was announced as the winner as they had hit more boundaries in the final.
