England ace allrounder Ben Stokes took a “cigarette break” to calm his nerves ahead of Super Over in 2019 World Cup Final, as per a book on England’s triumph.
On 14th July 2019, England lifted their maiden 50-over World Cup. It saw one of the most dramatic finals as the result was made on the basis of boundary countback. England emerged as a winner against New Zealand after Super Over.
The anecdotes from a book called ‘Morgan’s Men: The Inside Story of England’s Rise from Cricket World Cup Humiliation to Glory’ talk about the pressure that Ben Stokes felt in those last few moments of the game.
“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.
“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 battled 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.”.
Ben Stokes was adjudged man of the match in 2019 World Cup final for his unbeaten 84-run knock.
It was undoubtedly one of the most dramatic and nail-biting World Cup finals in the history of cricket. However the victory didn’t go down well with cricket fans as the rules based on which the winner was decided was not fair and due to which ICC also faced huge criticism from ex-players, commentators, and fans.
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