'I will be apologising for that the rest of my life': Stokes on deflected boundary in World Cup final

With three balls left in the match, the ball deflected off Ben Stokes' bat while he dived for a second run and raced away to the boundary for four overthrows. It ultimately proved crucial in the scheme of the contest.

Published : Jul 15, 2019 01:01 IST

Ben Stokes throws his hands up in the air after the ball accidentally deflected off his bat and went to the boundary for overthrows.

In a thrilling final, England won its first-ever World Cup on boundary count after the Super Over ended in a tie at Lord's on Sunday.

The first tie was a result of an extraordinary event. With three balls left in the match, the ball deflected off Ben Stokes' bat while he dived for a second run and raced away to the boundary for four overthrows. It ultimately proved crucial in the scheme of the contest.

"Not the way I wanted to do it, ball going off my bat like that, I apologised to Kane," Stokes said of the incident. "I said to Kane I’ll be apologising for that for the rest of my life."

Opposing skipper Kane Williamson played down the incident. "That [the Stokes deflection] was a bit of a shame, wasn't it? You just hope it doesn't happen in moments like that," he said, at the post-match presentation ceremony.