England’s World Cup-winning cricketers are celebrating with the Prime Minister at Number 10 tonight in the afterglow of one of the greatest triumphs in British sporting history.
Captain Eoin Morgan and his team are visiting Theresa May in the latest leg of their celebrations just 24 hours after the World Cup final ended in unimaginable drama at Lord’s.
The Prime Minister, a cricket fan who has compared her political stubbornness to that of former England batsman Geoffrey Boycott, cheerfully held the trophy aloft as the team lined up with their medals.
Many of her appearances outside Number 10’s black door have been fraught with political crisis – but today she finally had a victory to celebrate.
The visit echoes that of England’s famously well-refreshed Ashes winners in 2005, who went to see Tony Blair after a boisterous open-top bus parade in Trafalgar Square.
This year’s heroes will not be allowed such extravagance, with the 2019 Ashes just around the corner, despite growing calls for a parade today.
But they have spent the day revelling with fans at the Oval, where they were mobbed by delighted supporters and demands for autographs and selfies.
Hundreds of excited schoolchildren scrambled to touch the trophy at the South London ground, just a few miles from where England overcame New Zealand in what has been hailed as cricket’s greatest ever game.
Lifting the trophy: Prime Minister Theresa May holds the trophy aloft with England captain Eoin Morgan as the World Cup winners visit Downing Street 24 hours after their breathless victory over New Zealand
One last dance? Theresa May looks ready to break out her famous dancing moves with a drink in one hand and a cricket bat in the other at the celebration in Downing Street
Celebration: England captain Eoin Morgan shakes hands with Prime Minister Theresa May as the team visits 10 Downing Street to celebrate their World Cup triumph
Here it is: Mrs May, a cricket fan who has compared herself to dogged erstwhile England batsman Geoffrey Boycott, holds the trophy with both hands – in one of her last engagements before she leaves Number 10
Winning squad: The World Cup winners pose outside Number 10’s famous black door with their winner’s medals this evening
Something to smile about: The PM shakes hands with England hero Ben Stokes who was at the centre of the action in the final
Here they are: The PM welcomes the trophy-carrying Morgan as he walks towards the door of Number 10 on Monday evening
All hands to the pump: The Prime Minister laughs with England players including Morgan and Jonny Bairstow this evening
For me? Mrs May shakes hands with captain Morgan as he holds the team’s first World Cup trophy in the other hand
We’re the champions: May gets both hands on the trophy outside the black door at Number 10 – where her appearances have often been a sign of political crisis
A glass to celebrate: The PM enjoys a drink with England players including bowler Liam Plunkett in the Downing Street garden
Delight: Mrs May looks thrilled to meet the winning cricketers after she watched them beat New Zealand at Lord’s on Sunday
Before tonight’s Downing Street reception, the PM paid tribute to the team’s ‘brilliant performance’ and hailed their ‘courage and determination’ in the final.
‘Yesterday was a brilliant performance by a brilliant team. They showed flair, courage and an absolute determination to become world champions, Mrs May said.
‘The achievement, delivered in such a thrilling style on home soil, will live forever in our sporting history.
‘It’s also exciting to think just how many children will be inspired by this victory to pick up a bat for the first time and hopefully become the great cricketers and World Cup winners of tomorrow.’
At the height of her Brexit struggles last November, the PM compared herself to 1970s cricketer Geoffrey Boycott, a Yorkshireman who was known for his dogged and stubborn batting style.
She and her husband were among the crowd as the World Cup final ended in an unprecedented tie, before a thrilling tie-breaker was itself tied, giving England victory thanks to their superior hitting record.
Tonight she wore a light blue jacket in a similar colour to the kit which England wore during the tournament – although the players had changed into a smarter dark blue uniform for the occasion.
Throwback: Tonight’s Downing Street visit recalls that of the famously well-refreshed England team – seen here, Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen – after their 2005 Ashes triumph
Line-up: England’s Jofra Archer, Ben Stokes and Liam Plunkett walk past the Prime Minister at the Downing Street event
Meeting: The PM – who has compared herself to ex-England batsman Geoff Boycott – talks to members of the England team
Memento: Mrs May holds a commemorative bat signed by members of the winning England team, headed by Eoin Morgan
All smiles: The winning England team gather around the PM in the Downing Street garden during the Monday night reception
Match winner: The PM talks to Jos Buttler – whose run-out of New Zealand’s Martin Guptill was the decisive moment
Another famous guest: Former Prime Minister John Major, himself a cricket fan, speaks to the England entourage on Monday
Outside Number 10, the players lined up for a team photo with the Prime Minister in the centre – Mrs May grabbing the trophy with both hands and holding it up with captain Morgan.
In the Downing Street garden she mingled with the winning squad, including bowler Liam Plunkett and wicketkeeper Jos Buttler, whose run-out of New Zealand batsman Martin Guptill finally ended the match.
She also held up a commemorative cricket bat which was signed by the England team.
Also joining the celebrations on Monday night was one of her predecessors – former Conservative PM John Major, himself a keen cricket fan.
Major went to The Oval to watch a Surrey game on the day he left Downing Street, after he was beaten by Tony Blair in the 1997 election.
What on earth happened? Theresa May looks as bewildered as the millions who watched the cricket’s dramatic finish
Matching: Mrs May was wearing a light blue jacket – an almost identical colour to the England kit during Sunday’s victory
A laugh and a smile: The PM and Eoin Morgan look delighted as arrangements are made for the team photo outside No 10
Latest leg of the celebrations: The PM speaks to the cricketers after they were mobbed by schoolchildren earlier in the day
Ben Stokes signs autographs for fans during the England Cricket World Cup victory celebration at The Oval in London today
Captain Eoin Morgan with the Cricket World Cup surrounded by fans who descended on the Oval in London this morning
Captain Eoin Morgan with the World Cup and his teammates as they are photographed at the Oval today
England’s Joe Root with fans during the celebrations at the Oval today as England celebrate winning the Cricket World Cup
Ben Stokes is swamped by fans as thousands of people descend upon the Oval today to celebrate the remarkable win
Ben Stokes signs autographs for excited fans at the Oval today, one day after the stunning World Cup victory at Lord’s
England celebrate winning the Cricket World Cup with an event attended by thousands of people at the Oval today
Captain Eoin Morgan with the World Cup surrounded by fans as a special celebration takes place today following the win
The dramatic finish to Sunday’s game sparked bedlam at Lord’s and jubilation in Trafalgar Square where England fans had gathered to watch the game on a big screen.
Today there were growing calls for a victory parade – but cricket bosses have knocked them back, with this year’s Ashes just two weeks away.
The battle to regain the Ashes urn from Australia begins at Edgbaston on August 1 and Stokes has promised there will be no World Cup hangover.
The heroes of the 2005 Ashes – hailed at the time as the greatest Test series in history – had a raucous Trafalgar Square parade before visiting Number 10, where bowler Matthew Hoggard called Tony Blair a ‘k**b’.
It was also rumoured that some players including star man Andrew Flintoff had relieved themselves in the Downing Street garden.
The hubris of those celebrations was later blamed for a downturn in form which led to a 5-0 thumping by Australia in the return series in 2006/07.
England’s Moeen Ali signs his autograph for a fan during the celebrations at the Oval in London today
England’s Jofra Archer signs autographs for fans as they descend on The Oval in London for the celebration today
England’s Eoin Morgan poses with his team-mates and the trophy during the celebrations at the Oval in London today
England’s Eoin Morgan with team mates and the trophy during the celebrations at the Oval in South London today
England’s Jos Buttler speaks to fans and poses for photographs during the celebrations at the Oval today
Captain Eoin Morgan holds the Cricket World Cup as he is surrounded by fans at the Oval during today’s celebration
England’s Liam Plunkett with fans during the celebrations marking the first ever Cricket World Cup win for the country
England’s Jonny Bairstow (left), Joe Root (centre) and Jos Buttler (right) attend the World Cup victory event at the Oval today
England’s Jonny Bairstow gives a thumbs up during the celebrations at the Oval today after England’s World Cup victory
England’s Eoin Morgan arrives with the trophy during the World Cup celebrations at the Kia Oval in London today
England’s Adil Rashid (left) and Jofra Archer (right) arrive for the celebrations at the Oval this morning
Some of this year’s team were photographed arriving at their hotel at about 12.30am this morning in the aftermath of their dramatic win – still wearing their blue match kit.
Ben Stokes could be seen walking with no shoes on into the Landmark Hotel in London’s Marylebone, followed by Jofra Archer, Joe Root and Jos Buttler.
A bleary-eyed Mark Wood grinned from ear to ear and plenty of Morgan’s side still had their medals dangling around their necks.
Like the 2005 series, this year’s World Cup final was broadcast on free-to-air television, with 4.5million viewers watching the contest at its peak on Channel 4.
That compared to 9.6million for the Wimbledon final on BBC1, while 2.5million tuned in to the British Grand Prix on a ‘Super Sunday’ of sport.
However, Sky Sports and Sky One also broadcast the Cricket World Cup live. Sky Sports Main Event peaked at 1.13million viewers with Sky Sports Cricket 898,000 and Sky One 918,600.
Thousands of fans have descended upon the Oval in London to join the Cricket World Cup heroes at a celebration today
Adil Rashid and Jofra Archer (left) and Ben Stokes (right) arrive for the World Cup celebrations at the Oval this morning
England’s Joe Root stops to sign autographs for fans at the Oval this morning following the Cricket World Cup win
Fast bowlers Jofra Archer (left) and Liam Plunkett (right) emerge from the Landmark Hotel in Marylebone at about 11am today
South African-born English cricketer Tom Curran leaves the Landmark Hotel in London’s Marylebone this morning
Eoin Morgan (left) and Mark Wood (right) leave the hotel one day after England beat New Zealand in the final at Lord’s
Joe Root and Liam Plunkett leave the five-star hotel this morning following their epic World Cup victory yesterday
The England Cricket team depart their team hotel with the World Cup trophy following the intense match yesterday
The Queen and Prince Philip were among the first to congratulate the England cricket team on their first ever World Cup triumph.
Her Majesty and the Duke sent their ‘warmest congratulations’ to the England Men’s Cricket team after ‘such a thrilling victory in today’s World Cup Final’.
They also offered their commiserations to the losing New Zealanders, for whom the last-gasp defeat was as bitter as it was sweet for England.
The Queen’s son, Prince Andrew, was among the spectators at the Lord’s showpiece and presented the trophy to the triumphant England team after the game reached its dramatic climax.
England batsmen Ben Stokes (left) and Jason Roy (right) arrive at the Landmark Hotel in London’s Marylebone at 0.30am
Moeen Ali (left) and Jofra Archer (right) arrive back at the hotel with their medals following England’s dramatic victory
Jonny Bairstow (left) and Jos Buttler (right) arrive at the five-star hotel in London with their winners’ medals at 0.30am today
Mark Wood (left) and Joe Root (right) were among those who wrote their names into the history books at Lord’s on Sunday
Two members of staff could be seen carrying the trophy into the Landmark Hotel in London’s Marylebone overnight
Jos Buttler and Mark Wood lead England’s celebrations inside the Lord’s dressing rooms yesterday, where players sloshed champagne and chanted after the astonishing victory
The match itself ended in gripping drama after England and New Zealand were tied having batted for 50 overs each, sending the World Cup final to an unprecedented tie-breaker.
Both sides had made exactly 241 in 50 overs, England recovering to match New Zealand’s total after they had slipped to 86 for four.
A tie is a relative rarity in itself – it was the first in a World Cup final – but what happened next was even more extraordinary.
To break the tie, both teams were given one Super Over to score as many runs as possible. If that too was a draw, England would win because they had scored more boundaries during the game.
England scored 15. New Zealand had 14 with one ball left. On a breathless last ball, Guptill made one to level the scores, sprinted back for a second but was run out by Jos Buttler as he dived for the winning run – missing out by just 0.05 seconds. The tie-breaker was itself a tie, and England had won.
England won by a hair’s breadth because they had scored 26 boundaries during the match while New Zealand had managed only 17.
As a result, when Buttler broke the stumps his team-mates knew they had won the World Cup – in the most dramatic fashion possible.
Ben Stokes holds the cup after the side’s dramatic triumph, in what is being described as one of the greatest games in cricket history
The stars sang their own version of the football chant ‘Allez, Allez, Allez’ as they celebrated their victory in the Lord’s dressing rooms
Jason Roy and Ben Stokes join the victory chants in the dressing room (left) as Joe Root posed with the winners’ trophy (right)
Roy opens his arms wide and looks to the ceiling amid the booze-fuelled celebrations in the England dressing room
Eoin Morgan and Joe Root enjoy some welcome refreshment as Jason Roy watches on. All the team were wearing their winners’ medals
Today it was claimed that England had benefited from an umpiring mistake after a bizarre incident in the game’s dramatic final overs.
As Stokes was diving for a run, he accidentally deflected the ball away to the boundary – earning England four priceless runs in addition to the two they had completed.
However, former umpire Simon Taufel said only one of the two completed runs should have counted because the ball had been thrown before they finished the second.
Since the match ended in a tie, the loss of one run could in theory have cost England the cup – although they might have batted differently with a different target in mind.
Asked whether it mattered to him that England had been the beneficiaries of a blunder, director of cricket Ashley Giles replied: ‘Not really.
‘You could argue the last ball that Boult bowled was a full toss on leg stump, and if Stokes hadn’t just been looking for two he probably would’ve banged it out of the ground anyway.
‘We are world champions. We have got the trophy and we intend to keep it.’
Jofra Archer – who bowled in the last nail-biting over that saw England only just secure victory – holds the trophy in England’s dressing room
Chris Woakes posed with the trophy in the dressing room before England captain Eoin Morgan and coach Trevor Bayliss took it out onto the balcony
The players spent some time together as a team at Lord’s before heading into London for a night out on the town
Buttler and Roy join a rendition of the ‘Allez, Allez, Allez’ chant in the England dressing room, where the empty bottles quickly stacked up
The cricket triumph capped an extraordinary Sunday for British sport.
Just as the World Cup final was reaching its dramatic climax at Lords, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic were locked in another epic contest – a five-set Wimbledon final between two of the game’s greatest champions.
Like the cricket, the tennis was decided in an unprecedented tie-break when the players reached 12-12 in the deciding set.
Djokovic won the decider to claim his fifth Wimbledon title, and his 16th Grand Slam in all – four behind Federer, who holds the all-time record with 20.
On top of that, Formula One’s Lewis Hamilton claimed another sporting triumph on Sunday when he won the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
The win keeps Hamilton on course to take his sixth world title, which would move him to within one of Michael Schumacher’s record haul.
Eoin Morgan with his wife Tara Morgan, who said she could ‘not possibly be prouder’ of her husband following the victory
Ben Stokes with his wife Clare and their two children following England’s epic Cricket World Cup win yesterday
Joe Root with his wife Carrie following England’s dramatic victory in what was an enthralling World Cup final
A triumphant Eoin Morgan poses with the World Cup trophy outside the Long Room at Lord’s after leading his side to victory
Morgan leading the team into the Landmark Hotel in Marylebone this morning as they prepared for more celebrations later on
It was not only the players who were celebrating – England fans jumped into fountains on Trafalgar Square while lauding their heroes
England supporters strip off and jump into the Trafalgar Square fountain amid wild celebrations across the country yesterday
English cricket fans celebrate England’s victory over New Zealand at The George Inn on Borough High Street in London
Fans holding St George’s Crosses wave at the big screen as they celebrate England’s triumph, which was wrenched from the jaws of defeat
England’s captain Eoin Morgan is sprayed with champagne as he lifts the World Cup trophy on the Lord’s outfield yesterday
Ben Stokes celebrates with his partner Clare after he helped England to World Cup victory amid unthinkable drama in the cricket final against New Zealand
England’s Test captain Joe Root kisses his wife, Carrie, after helping England to World Cup success against New Zealand
Jofra Archer (left) and Adil Rashid (right) video messaged friends from the Lord’s pitch during yesterday’s celebrations
Buttler sprays team-mate Sam Billings with champagne late on Sunday night during the party, which unsurprising went on all night
Tom Curran is filmed enjoying a bottle of beer and a cigarette while the celebrations went on throughout the night
Chris Woakes and Jason Roy were among the England cricket stars wildly celebrating their side’s dramatic victory on the Lord’s pitch
A petition calling for the England stars to be given an open-top bus parade was quickly gaining signatures today
Ben Stokes’ proud parents Deb and Gerard said they felt their son’s World Cup success less than a year after he was in court facing charges of affray – of which he was later cleared – was ‘written in the stars’
England fans gather in Trafalgar Square to watch their team in the Cricket World Cup final
There were wild celebrations inside Lord’s too, where one England fan dressed up in a lion costume while another waved a team flag
Enraptured fans took to Twitter to voice their astonishment at England’s spectacular win, which coincided with a nailbiting Wimbledon final
Kiss that says ‘We’re on top of the world’: RICHARD KAY watches as England’s Superman Ben Stokes inspires his side to Cricket World Cup glory
By Richard Kay for the Daily Mail
Champagne and fireworks sprayed into the sky last night as England’s cricketers, the new world champions, fell to their knees.
An epic display of resilience, perseverance and sheer bloody-mindedness triumphed in one of the greatest matches at the home of cricket.
Lord’s – the bastion of blazers, white flannels and tradition – erupted into a cacophony of unbridled joy to the point of hysteria.
Never has a match of the sport England brought to the world ended in such stupendous, nerve-shredding, nail-biting pandemonium.
At last a sporting victory that – if not quite ranking alongside England’s football World Cup heroics in 1966 – comes darned close. No more the tag of gallant losers, for so long the nearly men of world cricket.
At exactly 7.30pm, with the sun low over the St John’s Wood stadium, 11 Englishmen finally filled the void in Britain’s trophy cabinet. England – world champions at cricket after the most preposterous, tortuous and see-sawing game it is possible to imagine.
Fortunes shifted and turned with ridiculous speed. If ever there was a game to sum up the unpredictability and capriciousness of sport, this was it. It had everything, unprecedented drama, heartbreak and sheer heart-stopping passion.
But that they got over the line at the end of a ‘super over’ of sudden-death cricket after the scores were tied, was down these two remarkable young men.
Stokes with his bludgeoning bat and Archer with his smooth-as-silk run-up and delivery of a ball that denied New Zealand their chance of glory.
Gut-wrenching for the black-clad Kiwis who were within a single run of victory but euphoria for the men in light blue.
Eoin Morgan’s side tied the final with New Zealand on 241 runs each – and then both astonishingly scored 15 runs in the supposedly tie-breaking super-over.
Fans held their breath as New Zealand’s batsman Martin Guptill dived in a bid to score a winning 16th run but England wicket-keeper Jos Buttler managed to gather the ball and run him out by just inches.
It meant the home side triumphed because they scored more boundaries – sending fans at Lord’s and thousands more in Trafalgar Square – plus watching on television – into delirium.
In one remarkable moment in the final over of England’s 50, a dive for the crease by Stokes even connected unknowingly with a throw-in from a fielder, generating four overthrows and keeping English hopes alive.
That paved the way for the super over, a six-ball shoot-out that had only occurred 11 times in international history and never before in an ODI.
Pulsating, absorbing and in a way utterly ridiculous. Nothing could separate these two teams – they had fought each other to an epic draw.
But there has to be a winner. So after 50 overs each of outstanding cricket they came back for a do-or-die over of six balls each. The team with the most runs would win.
Who else could England turn to but Stokes? In his six years as an England player he has been hero and villain. But yesterday he was something else – a man of steel, Superman even.
His team crumbled around him as he strained every sinew to get them over the line.
By the end he was almost on his knees with exhaustion, his eyes rimmed with sweat, dirt and fatigue.
But he stepped forward to lead the charge. Together with Jos Buttler, another of England’s superstars, they posted 15 runs from their six balls.
Step forward Archer, the youngest, most callow member of this remarkable team. Rather than the experience of, say, Chris Woakes, captain Eoin Morgan went for Archer’s sublime speed.
He did not disappoint, though it was only with the very last ball that the win was reached.
Had New Zealand made two runs, it would have been they and not England in cricketing heaven. Afterwards Stokes spoke for the nation: ‘I don’t think there will be a better game of cricket in history.’
He was not exaggerating. As a sporting contest this was unmatched, tipping first one way then another.
England had come to Lord’s as massive favourites.
They were playing at home in front of a huge, partisan crowd and on the back on a magnificent demolition of Australia in the semi-finals.
The stars were surely aligned for the home side to finally do what they have never done in their history. The last time they were even in a final was 27 years ago when Prince Andrew was still married to Sarah Ferguson.
Yesterday Andrew, long since divorced, was there representing his mother the Queen.
Buckingham Palace released a statement from her after the pulsating match: ‘Prince Philip and I send our warmest congratulations to the England men’s cricket team after such a thrilling victory.
‘I also extend my commiserations to the runners-up New Zealand, who competed so admirably in today’s contest and throughout the tournament.’
Prime Minister Theresa May was also there.
She loves her cricket and pretty soon she will be able to spend much more time following the sport as she prepares to leave Downing Street.
The ground was packed with supporters of every stripe. Indians and Australians making as much noise as the fans of the two competing teams.
There was all sorts of entertainment that cricketing bods think they need to provide these days – an electric guitar wizard who played at the fall of every wicket, the Red Devils parachute team and the ubiquitous streaker.
The touts had a field day. I saw a ticket changing hand for £500, others were going for £3,000.
I also saw the heartbreak of a young man being turned away after he shelled out £300 for what was a forgery.
The ground was festooned with Union flags and as the tension ratcheted up they were waved increasingly frantically.
In past encounters between these teams, the members wearing their egg and tomato ties and garish jackets would have watched proceedings from their famous redoubt, the Pavilion, with polite applause.
Not yesterday, on the greatest day of English cricket.
Super Sunday: England cricket fans pack into Trafalgar Square to watch the World Cup final on a day which ended in extraordinary drama in both the cricket and the tennis
The Barmy Army flocked to London’s Trafalgar Square yesterday morning hoping that England would take their first ever World Cup victory at the home of cricket
Trafalgar Square was packed with cricket fans yesterday afternoon enjoying a beer and watching the England run chase in the capital
HENRY BLOFELD: My dear old things, it was the greatest cricket match of all time…
By Henry Blofeld for the Daily Mail
What drama, what tension, what heroics. My dear old things, in all my years of watching cricket, I cannot recall any match that has kept me on my toes like yesterday’s World Cup Final.
In fact, I have never seen anything so compelling on television in my life. Wasn’t it amazing?
It is a glorious achievement to gladden the heart and bring a tear to the eye. The cheers that rang out at Lord’s yesterday echoed across the nation as the England cricket team, after decades of heartache and frustration, finally reached the summit.
The triumph was all the more emotional because it was such a close finish. My wife and I watched it at home in Norfolk with a bottle of very decent burgundy. It became so tense, we felt the need to open another.
Henry Blofeld (pictured at Lord’s in 2017) says England’s triumph on Sunday ‘ranks with any of the great milestones of English cricket’
Top of the world: The England cricket team celebrate after one of the greatest days in their history – winning the World Cup
I felt for New Zealand, truly. Their undaunted spirit, their sense of decency even after they lost by that wafer-thin margin was an absolute tonic and very much in the spirit of the game.
Of course it was marvellous for England and, goodness knows, they deserve their congratulations. Captain Eoin Morgan’s side somehow kept their heads when, to quote Kipling, most spectators were losing theirs. England have had great Irish leaders in the past.
The Duke of Wellington, hero of Waterloo, was born in Dublin, while Field Marshal Montgomery was of Ulster stock. It was Irishman Eoin Morgan’s leadership that galvanised his team and turned them into conquering heroes.
Cricket has been something of a marginalised sport in recent years, with a shrinking public following. But this spectacular advertisement will have gripped the public’s imagination. Parks and gardens will be full of youngsters this summer imitating Ben Stokes with the bat and Jofra Archer with the ball.
The triumph ranks with any of the great milestones of English cricket, including the pulsating Ashes series of 2005, some of whose Test victories were almost as close as yesterday’s final.
And how could we forget Ian Botham’s Ashes of 1981, when dear old Beefy, then in his invincible pomp, thrashed the Aussies. Mind you, Ian was not the only cricketer who could be dismissive of the Australians. The Zimbabwean Eddo Brandes, never the most slimline of fellows, once came in to bat against the men from Down Under, only to be greeted by one of the Aussies with the question: ‘Hey Eddo, how come you’re so fat?’ Without missing a beat, Brandes replied: ‘Because every time I sleep with your wife, she gives me a chocolate biscuit.’
Beyond cricket, yesterday’s World Cup triumph is up there with the great landmarks in our sporting heritage that have mesmerised the nation.
Winning moment: England’s Jos Buttler breaks the stumps to win the Cricket World Cup in the most dramatic way imaginable
But the closest parallels are with our other national team sports, notably the Rugby World Cup win of 2003 and the even more resounding football victory of 1966 at Wembley, inspired by Geoff Hurst’s hat-trick.
Alf Ramsey, the manager of the 1966 squad, was awarded a knighthood after the defeat of West Germany, while the skipper Bobby Moore was given the OBE. Captain Morgan must be in line for a gong after yesterday’s drama.
He will certainly be greeted with greater acclaim than the unfortunate England skipper Mike Denness, whose Ashes team of 1974-75 was obliterated by Aussie firepower.
After Denness arrived back home, he received a strange envelope one morning, simply addressed to ‘Mike Denness, cricketer’. No address, no house name nor postcode. Inside, was a briefly worded message: ‘Dear Mr Denness, If this letter ever reaches you, the Post Office thinks an awful lot more of you than I do.’ At a time of political crisis, this victory will be a huge shot on the arm for the nation. There is nothing like a high-octane triumph to fuel a mood of patriotism. The triumph of Morgan’s men has a very modern feel. Compared to the way cricket was played when I first turned out for Cambridge University in the late 1950s, the sport now is far more aggressive and fast-paced. Batting is less defensive, fielding far more dynamic.
The late American comedian Robin Williams once said ‘cricket is baseball on Valium’ but it would be absurd to make such a remark today about the one-day game.
Making a splash: Cricket fans in Trafalgar Square cool off in the fountains as the match reached a gripping climax on Sunday
In a further sense, the victorious England team is very modern because it closely mirrors the diverse nature of modern British society. Fast bowler Jofra Archer, some of whose express deliveries in the tournament reached 95mph, was born in Barbados, while magical leg spinner Adil Rashid hails from a Bradford family of Pakistani migrants.
Morgan himself, brought up on a council estate north of Dublin, is of mixed parentage, with an Irish father and English mother. A cricket prodigy in his youth, he decided he wanted to play for England when he was just 13.
Yesterday’s win reinforces the game’s place at the centre of our national identity and story. Whatever cynics think, cricket is synonymous with the English character and what it means to be English. As the great writer Neville Cardus once put it: ‘There can be no summer in this land without cricket.’
Inevitably, the very English trait of humour is bound up with cricket, never demonstrated to more hilarious effect than in the episode during a Test in 1991 when my old pal Brian Johnston was gripped by a fit of the giggles after his colleague Jonathan Agnew described how Ian Botham lost his wicket because ‘he couldn’t quite get his leg over’.
In 1882, when Australia beat England by just seven runs at the Oval one spectator was so excited that he chewed through the handle of his umbrella. Yesterday’s final was more captivating. People who never watched the game before are now hooked. The dear old sport I love may be about to undergo a revival.
How England ruled the world: The thrilling conclusion to an epic final
England won their first-ever Cricket World Cup in the most dramatic match the sport has ever seen.
Eoin Morgan’s side tied the final with New Zealand on 241 runs each – and then both astonishingly scored 15 runs in the supposedly tie-breaking super-over.
Fans held their breath as New Zealand’s batsman Martin Guptill dived in a bid to score a winning 16th run but England wicket-keeper Jos Buttler managed to gather the ball and run him out by just inches – less than a tenth of a second before his bat crossed the line.
It meant the home side triumphed because they scored more boundaries – sending fans at Lord’s and thousands more in Trafalgar Square – plus watching on television – into delirium.
England had appeared dead-and-buried as they chased the Black Cap’s score but strong innings by Buttler and Ben Stokes, some fielding blunders from New Zealand, and some jaw-dropping good luck reversed their fortunes.
Fireworks erupt at Lord’s behind the winning England cricketers at captain Eoin Morgan lifts the World Cup trophy
Morgan beams as he becomes the first England cricket captain ever to win a World Cup – in the most thrilling and closest final in history
The team earned their winners’ medals by scoring more boundaries than their opponents, after matching them over 50 overs and then in the tie-break
All smiles: Joe Root and Jos Buttler celebrate winning the Cricket World Cup after the closest-possible Final
Supporters in the ‘fanzone’ in Trafalgar Square celebrate after watching England win the Cricket World Cup today
England’s Ben Stokes, whose match-saving knock rescued the game for England when a collapse seemed imminent, celebrates after winning the Cricket World Cup final
Underdressed fans in Trafalgar Square looked set to dive into the fountains in the course of their flag-waving celebrations
Fans watching in pubs around the country erupted in joy after the last ball – pictured fans at The George Inn
Over eight hours of play it seemed nothing could separate the hosts from New Zealand, with the sides battling to an unprecedented tie, both sides locked on 241 after 100 overs of nerve-shredding tension that cast Ben Stokes as the home side’s hero of the hour.
England looked dead-and-buried for large parts of he chase, having slumped to 86 for 4 and needing 15 off the final over of the regular 50.
But luck was on their side. Late in that chase, New Zealand’s Trent Boult caught Stokes on the boundary – but then stepped back and trod on the rope. Instead of a wicket for the Kiwis, it was six runs to England.
Then in that nerve-shredding final over, England needing nine from four balls, Guptill threw the ball at the stumps in a bid to run Stokes out as he completed a second run. But as Stokes dived, the ball ricocheted off his bat and to the boundary for four overthrows – six runs in total.
It was a piece of slapstick seldom seen in the game, let alone at such a key moment. It reduced England’s target to three from two, and after a single, two from the final ball.
Stokes completed the tying run but turned was run out as he charged headlong towards the winning line.
That paved the way for a super over, a six-ball shoot-out that had only occurred 11 times in international history and never before in a One-Day International.
Incredibly, the teams went blow-for-blow once again, Stokes and Jos Buttler hitting 15 off Trent Boult before Jofra Archer conceded 14 off his first five deliveries.
The New Zealand batsmen conferred with the umpires mid-pitch. What would a 15-all tie mean? It would mean an English victory: the next method of splitting the teams after runs was the number of boundaries.
Fans watching in Trafalgar Square took to praying as the two sides entered their Super Over tie break
The final twelve balls went for thirty runs, each one greeted as agony or ecstasy by the hordes of fans in Trafalgar Square
The Black Caps knew it was two or nothing from that final ball.
Barbados-born Archer, the least experienced player on either side, held his nerve. Guptill forced the ball into the off-side and ran a single. He turned, 22 yards away from the trophy.
Enter Jason Roy, who picked up cleanly despite unimaginable pressure and hurled a flat, decisive throw towards Buttler. The throw was wide, inside the stumps, but the keeper was up to the task. With Guptill in mid-air launching himself towards glory, he scooped the ball in his glove and flattened the stumps. There was 0.05 seconds in it, the finest of fine margins.
In the end England’s 22 fours and two sixes proved the difference, besting the Black Caps’ tally of 14 and two but they are just numbers, and do scant justice to the emotional, occasionally controversial and endlessly replayable events that played out on this famous ground.
Rarely has the tension at this storied stadium reached such emphatic peaks and rarely has a winning team celebrated with such gusto, the game and all the prizes that go with it having seemingly disappeared from their grasp on several occasions.
After 44 years and 12 editions England finally lifted the trophy, Eoin Morgan’s side securing their legacy in front of 30,000 captivated fans, a mass gathering at Trafalgar Square and on television in homes up and down the country.
The national side were back on a free-to-air terrestrial platform for the first time since the halcyon days of 2005 and they did not miss their once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to match the achievements of their female counterparts, who became world champions at the home of cricket two summers ago.
Any new fans who were enthralled by what they saw, and surely there were many, will need to be told they may never see its like again.
Ben Stokes of England dives to make his ground during the Final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 between New Zealand and England at Lord’s Cricket Ground
In an extraordinary stroke of luck for the home side, England made six from a single delivery when the ball went for four accidental overthrows off Stokes’ bat as he dove for the crease
A captain’s innings was required from Eoin Morgan (pictured) after England lost three early wickets against the Kiwis
Mark Woods puts his head in his hands as Kane Williamson hits him for four, the New Zealand captain steadied the ship after the early dismissal of Martin Guptill at Lord’s
A streaker wearing a black bathing suit advertising the same x-rated website as a pitch invader during football’s Champions League final caused a stir as she grappled with stewards on the boundary at Lord’s
The Barmy Army flocked to London’s Trafalgar Square yesterday morning hoping to watch England take their first ever World Cup victory at the home of cricket
Trafalgar Square was packed with cricket fans yesterday afternoon enjoying a beer and watching the England run chase in the capital
England fans rejoicing in central London as the match is played out on the big screen in Trafalgar Square
McFly bandmate Harry Judd visits the London fan zone at Trafalgar Square during the ICC Cricket World Cup final
A nervous England fan with the cross of St George painted on her cheek bites her nails as England open the bowling at the home of cricket
Prime Minister Theresa May stands alongside her husband Philip as they sing ‘God Save the Queen’ ahead of England’s match against New Zealand at Lord’s
Kane Williamson of New Zealand and Eoin Morgan of England shake hands as former England captain Nasser Hussain announced the toss to fans – the Kiwis won the toss and Williamson elected to bat first
England fans gather in London’s Trafalgar Square to watch the World Cup Final on the big screen in overcast central London
England’s Eoin Morgan and New Zealand’s Kane Williamson lead out their men ahead of the Cricket World Cup final at Lord’s