England captain Eoin Morgan believes that his side had the rub of the green, after they were crowned champions of the 2019 International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup.
While sharing his thoughts during the post-match press conference, the Dublin-born Morgan was asked about the famed luck of the Irish — enroute to their World Cup triumph.
“We had Allah with us as well. I spoke to Adil Rashid, he said Allah was definitely with us,” said Morgan. “I said we had the rub of the green. That actually epitomises our team. We’re from quite diverse backgrounds and cultures and guys grow up in different countries. To actually find humour in the situation we were in at times was pretty cool.”
The England skipper also hoped his side’s “incredible journey” to World Cup glory will inspire a new generation of fans in the sport’s birthplace.
There have long been concerns about declining player numbers in English cricket, with the sport hidden behind a television paywall in Britain since England’s iconic 2005 Ashes series triumph.
But Sunday’s match at Lord’s — the first of the 12 World Cup finals to end in a tie and to be settled by a Super Over contest — was on free-to-air television.
“I certainly hope participation levels go up or continue to rise,” said Morgan, who has overseen England’s climb from the depths of a miserable first-round exit at the 2015 World Cup.
England, set 242 to win, were dismissed for 241, with Ben Stokes stranded on 84 not out after Mark Wood was run out off the last ball of regulation play.
They then made 15 in their additional Super Over, bowled by Trent Boult, before New Zealand matched that in their own Super Over, bowled by Jofra Archer.
But with Martin Guptill run out off the last ball of the match going for the winning run, England triumphed on boundary count during the match — 26 to 17.
England had a moment of astonishing good fortune with a bonus four runs during their main innings when a Guptill throw deflected off the bat of Stokes, who was diving to make his ground.
