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Moeen Ali's Birmingham Phoenix thrashed the Manchester Ovals to book a final berth in The Hundred after a 30-ball dash in a rain-curtailed encounter on Saturday, August 17. Phoenix chased down 42 runs comfortably with Jamie Smith setting the tone with a couple of boundaries.
Ben Duckett (22*) then smashed a six and three fours to see the team through alongside captain Ali (6*).
The quick showdown in Birmingham reminded everyone of the historic 2019 ODI World Cup final between hosts England and New Zealand at Lord's. It is arguably the greatest ODI match of the current century where the two teams couldn't be separated even after 100 overs of cricket and a Super Over. England were eventually crowned champions on boundary count.
Batting first, New Zealand posted 241/8 in 50 overs, riding on half-centuries from Henry Nicholls and a timely 47 from Tom Latham. In reply, the home side was struggling at one point but Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler paired to bail the team out of danger.
The drama peaked in the dying moments of the game, including the Super Over, which also couldn't give a winner. With 15 needed off the last six, Stokes stuck two consecutive sixes to bring the equation to three off two balls. However, back-to-back run-outs while sneaking in the second run helped New Zealand keep the game alive.
After the game ended in a tie, the match rolled into the Super Over, where the hosts batted first. Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler, who put their side on top from 86/4 with a 110-run partnership, came out to bat, as Trent Boult marked his run-up.
The pair propelled England to 15 with the help of a couple of boundaries. The pressure was back on the Kiwis.
Asked to score 16 off six balls, Martin Guptill padded up alongside Jimmy Neesham, who was contemplating retirement, before he was named in the World Cup squad. Barbados-born Jofra Archer, for whom England mended their rules to play him in the home World Cup, looked determined and calm as he began his run-up.
Archer, playing his 14th ODI, began the Super Over with a yorker, which was called wide by the umpire. The lanky pacer hit the blackhole length, which Neesham managed to make a connection and sneaked in two runs. The southpaw targetted the shorter boundary and cleared it easily to bring the equation to seven off four deliveries.
A couple of twos followed before Neesham took a single of a bouncer to bring Martin Guptill on strike. Guptill, in the twilight of his career, was up against a fired-up Archer with two needed to win off the final delivery. The pacer found yet another yorker and Guptill pushed it to the deep mid-wicket.
Jason Roy caught Guptill short, as the batter tried to sneak in the second run for victory. Buttler put in a full-stretched dive to complete the run out to end England's pain.
"It's probably the only tournament I've ever won in my life" - Jofra Archer
The speedster was short of words while speaking to host broadcasters after England won their first ODI World Cup. He revealed that he knew he would bowl the Super Over and lauded his teammates for the warm reception.
"Was pretty sure I was going to bowl it," Archer said. "Just had a chat with Morgs (starts chuckling) heart's still racing, sorry. It's probably the only tournament I've ever won in my life. From the beginning, the guys did so well. Would have been disappointed if we didn't win. They've been a really good family to me."
The World Cup here has had an injury-laden career since then. The 29-year-old has played only 21 ODIs, 25 T20Is, and 13 T20Is, picking up 115 wickets overall.
