Greatest Cricket Matches at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019

The 2019 Men’s ICC Cricket World Cup will go down as one of the biggest sporting events of the year. With ten cricketing nations fighting for bragging rights, there was a lot of anticipation for the matches taking place across England and Wales.  There was also an incredible $4,000,000 prize for the winner and every team wanted it.

Fighting for the cup were favoritesIndia, Pakistan, Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand. As a show of the drama that was the ICC Cricket World Cup, Pakistan missed out on the semi-finals by the net run rate. India, which most people had expected to reach the finals fell at the hand of New Zealand at the semi-finals.  England went on to win in one of the most thrilling cricket world cup finals.

According to ICC, it was the most-watched world cup ever with an accumulative global audience of 1.6 billion viewers. However, these numbers don’t tell the real story of the action, the drama, sweat, and tears that happened during hard-fought matches.

To remember one of the best cricket world cups in recent times, here’s a recount of some of the greatest matches that went down in England and Wales.

1. England vs. New Zeeland (Final)

The final of the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup rightly deserves the accolades as one of the best matches of the event. Few had expected New Zealand to go so far but there it was fighting for the honors against England.

After respective 50 overs tying England with New Zealand at 241 each, both went on to score15 in the super-over shootout. England won by virtue of having hit more boundaries in the match. It was one a tense, thrilling and dramatic climax to the cricket world cup. New Zealand had it all in their hands but it finally slipped.

2. New ZealandVs. West Indies

Throughout the tournament, the kiwis had shown their desire to go all the way. One of the matches that showed their grit was the match against a resilient West Indies. What makes this match one of the best at the world cup was the determination shown by the West Indies.

Carlos Brathwaite has given West Indies hope with a spectacular century and his team could have stunned New Zealand. However, Brathwaite fell when trying to hit the match-winning six and with that went the hopes of the West Indies. It was agonizingly close for West Indies but New Zealand won by five runs in this thriller at Old Trafford.

3. India vs Afghanistan

When India plays, the cricket world watches in awe. India was not only a crowd puller but like at any other world cup also has some of the most recognizable cricketers. The match between India and Afghanistan had a lot of significance. India was looking to advance while Afghanistan wanted its first win.

For many fans following cricket news at Sportsbet.io it was to be a routine win for India but it took a lot to keep off Afghanistan. Bumrah’s magic and Shami’s hat-trick saved India the blushes.

Afghanistan was dominant in spinning while India came back with sheer pace and Yorkers. It was a thriller where the underdogs almost broke India’s unbeaten run at the World Cup. India beat Afghanistan by 11 runs but this remains etched in world cup history books as one of the best matches.

4. India vs. New Zealand

India went against New Zealand in the first semi-final. It was one of the highlights of the tournament though many people expected India to progress to the final. However, the top-rated team imploded at the top stage when it mattered most as New Zealand went on to win by 11 runs.

None other than Narendra Modi noted it was a disappointing result while citing India’s fighting spirit to the end.

5. Australia vs Pakistan

Australia and Pakistan have a history and it is always a highlight of any tournament when they meet. With Australia emerging as a top contender for the semis and Pakistan also angling for the same spot, it was a match every cricket fans had to watch.

It started with Pakistan winning the toss at Taunton and bowling. Australia made a great start to reach 165/1 after 25 overs. Pakistan staged a comeback with Wahab emerging as a hero. However, this comeback collapsed eventually, and Australia won by 41 runs.

Final Thoughts 

While every cricket match at the 2019 ICC World Cup had some allure, these five stood out. What was at stake, the history of the teams and the quality of the play made these matches more important. In combination, these matches made the 2019 world cup such a success.