ICC World Cup | It was a shame that the ball hit Ben Stokes' bat, says Kane Williamson

ICC World Cup | It was a shame that the ball hit Ben Stokes' bat, says Kane Williamson

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Kane Williamson claims that the ball hitting Ben Stokes’ bat in the final over of the second innings which gifted England six runs was a highly unfortunate incident which decided the game. New Zealand ultimately lost the final to England in the super over by virtue of hitting more boundaries.

The ICC World Cup 2019 final was definitely one of the most thrilling matches that the competition has seen in decades. This was the first time that the World Cup final went into the last over and then eventually went to a super over as well. England’s Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler did enough to ensure that the hosts’ would lift their maiden World Cup title on home soil.

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson, who endured his second loss at a World Cup final, lamented the game changing moment when the ball hit Ben Stokes’ bat in the final over of the second innings, which resulted in an overthrow rewarding the three lions with six crucial runs.

"It was a shame that the ball hit Stokes' bat, but I just hope it doesn't happen in moments like that. Unfortunately that sort of thing happens from time to time. It's a part of the game that we play. I don't wish to nitpick, just hope it never happens in such moments ever again," the disappointed skipper said at the post-match press conference reports Cricbuzz.

New Zealand posted a total of 241 runs in the first innings as England were bowled out for the same score later on. The Britishers posted 15 runs in the super over as the Kiwis missed out on the trophy by virtue of having scored fewer boundaries over the course of the match.

"We were thinking about the overhead conditions. The pitch was on the drier side. We thought runs on the board would be a good option. We would have liked 10-20 more. But in a World Cup final this was a competitive total. The bowlers really put the batsmen under pressure on a tough surface. Both the teams showed a lot of fight. It had to go down to the last ball, and then the last ball of the next little match, but a great match all round," Williamson added.

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