ICC WC final: Woakes, Plunkett restrict New Zealand to 241

Dhaka – The hosts England managed to restrict New Zealand to 241 in ICC Men’s World Cup final match at Lord’s on Sunday.

England need 242 to win their maiden World Cup trophy.Chris Woakes and Liam Plunkett took three wickets each to help England to restrict the Kiwis in a chaseable total.

For New Zealand, Henry Nicholls was the highest runs getter as he struck 55 off 77. Wicketkeeper-batsman Tom Latham hit 47 off 56.

The Kiwis won the toss and opted to bat first in the wicket which was looked to be friendly to the bowlers.

Martin Guptill was the first batsman to get dismissed scoring 9 off 18 balls before he was trapped lbw by Chris Woakes.

After him, New Zealand lost Henry Nicholls and Kane Williamson respectively for 55 and 30. Both fell prey to Liam Plunkett.

New Zealand never looked to have dominated over the hosts’ bowler as they lost wickets in regular intervals. Eventually they ended their innings with 241 runs for 8 in 50 overs.

The sport of cricket known as originated in south-east England in the late 16th century. The cricketing fraternity is all set to crown a new champion as neither teams won a World Cup before.

Both sides fielded unchanged playing XI.

England: Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (capt), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler(wk), Chris Woakes, Liam Plunkett, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood

New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Henry Nicholls, Kane Williamson (capt), Ross Taylor, James Neesham, Tom Latham (wk), Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson.UNB