[7] England played in their first final in 27 years,[8] their last appearance coming in 1992, when they were defeated by Pakistan at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

[8] When England reached the final, demand increased greatly for it to be shown on a free-to-air television channel in the United Kingdom.

[10] New Zealand retained the majority of the team that reached their maiden World Cup Final as co-hosts in 2015, although Kane Williamson took on the captaincy following Brendon McCullum's retirement.

Meanwhile, fellow pace bowler Trent Boult had captain Virat Kohli trapped lbw for one and top scorer Ravindra Jadeja caught by Williamson for 77 when a seventh-wicket partnership looked to be swinging the match back in India's favour.

Finally, Martin Guptill ran out World Cup-winning captain MS Dhoni for 50 with a direct hit to leave India with just their tail.

Only a handful of the players who featured in 2019, including Irish-born captain Eoin Morgan, Test captain Joe Root, wicket-keeper Jos Buttler and bowling all-rounder Chris Woakes, were holdovers from that team, though a good number played in the narrow defeat against the West Indies in the 2016 World Twenty20 Final.

Their campaign was nearly derailed after a loss at Lord's to defending champions and arch-rivals Australia left them having to beat both India and New Zealand to guarantee their semi-final spot.

Key moments included Woakes having David Warner caught for 9, Jofra Archer trapping captain Aaron Finch lbw for a golden duck, Buttler running out Australian top scorer and former captain Steve Smith through his legs on 85 and Jason Roy's 85 off 65 as England completed their chase with 107 balls to spare.

It was feared that the rain would interfere with the match, but it cleared up quickly, although the overcast conditions and wet grass changed the dynamic of the toss.

[17] Defending a middling score, the New Zealand bowlers bowled effectively, hampering England's top order, with only Jonny Bairstow managing more than a start with 36.

Stokes managed to farm the strike and, more crucially, score runs, leaving England needing 15 to win from the final over, two wickets still in hand.

Stokes and Buttler returned to the crease for England to face the bowling of Trent Boult; the pair scored 15 runs without loss, with both batsmen contributing a boundary four.

Archer's over started badly, beginning with a wide, and a steady accumulation of runs, along with a six from Neesham off the third ball, left New Zealand needing two from the final delivery.

[29] England players Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow declared the World Cup Final as "the greatest game ever".

"[14] The Sydney Morning Herald called it "one of the most dramatic clashes in cricket history",[31] while ABC News referred to it as "the greatest ODI ever played".

As Stokes and Adil Rashid had not crossed at the moment the New Zealand fielder threw the ball, it was suggested that England should only have been awarded one completed run in addition to the overthrow boundary.

[45] "Prince Philip and I send our warmest congratulations to the England Men's Cricket Team after such a thrilling victory in today’s World Cup Final."

[48] British Prime Minister Theresa May invited the England team to 10 Downing Street the day after the victory to celebrate and offer her congratulations.

Former Conservative Prime Minister Sir John Major, himself a former Surrey County Cricket Club President and honorary life vice-president, was also in attendance.

In the subsequent New Year's Honours List, six England players and staff received Order of the British Empire decorations: CBEs for Morgan and ECB chairman Colin Graves, OBEs for Stokes and coach Trevor Bayliss and MBEs for Buttler and Root.

8.3 million viewers tuned in to see the final, making it one of the most viewed broadcasts of the year, with the highest audience share since the 2018 FIFA World Cup semi-Final between Croatia and England and the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.