Exactly one year ago, on July 14 2019, England men’s ODI cricket team registered history as it won the coveted trophy in the final of 2019 World Cup against New Zealand at Lord’s, the home of cricket.
The thrilling encounter went to the Super Over as the scores of both teams were tied. As if the excitement and drama were not enough, even the Super Over was tied, but eventually, England were declared as the winners based on boundary count rule.
For the hosts, star all-rounder Ben Stokes turned out to be the superhero as he played a stunning knock of unbeaten 84 runs which helped his side to take the match in the Super Over.
It was expected that when the scores were tied, and both teams were bracing themselves for the Super Over, the nervousness for players was at its peak. Even Stokes went through the same and found an interesting way to eliminate the restlessness.
As the two teams prepared for the Super Over, Stokes decided to calm his nerves by quitely opting for a quick puff at the Lord’s dressing room before he went on to bat again in the Super Over. In the Super Over, Stokes scored 8 out of the 15 runs scored in total.
A book naming ‘Morgan’s Men: The Inside Story of England’s Rise from Cricket World Cup Humiliation to Glory’ has revealed what was going in Stokes’ mind while he was batting in the nerve-wracking final.
“Finding a quiet spot as the frenzy of the Super Over approached was hard in a ground packed out with 27,000 supporters and television cameras following the players from the middle, through the Long Room and up the stairs to the dressing room,” authors Nick Hoult and Steve James wrote in the book, as quoted by stuff.co.nz.
“But Ben Stokes had played at Lord’s many times. He knows every nook and cranny. As Eoin Morgan tries to bring calm to the England dressing room and sort out their tactics, Stokes nips off for a moment of peace. “He is covered in dirt and sweat. He has batted for two hours and 27 minutes of unbelievable tension. What does Stokes do? He goes to the back of the England dressing room, past the attendant’s little office and into the showers. There he lights up a cigarette and has few minutes on his own,” the authors wrote further.
The southpaw was honoured as the ‘Man of the Match’ in the final for his unbelievable effort with the bat which saw England win their maiden World Cup trophy.
