The Super Over that got England the World Cup despite a tie

Tribune Web Desk
Chandigarh, July 15

Amid heart-stopping drama and a tie, England on Sunday won the maiden World Cup title by beating New Zealand after a Super Over.

Chasing a 242-run victory, Ben Stokes' 84 not out helped the hosts tie the see-saw contest, forcing the Super Over where more nail-biting drama unfolded.

Jos Buttler and Stokes took 15 runs off Trent Boult's Super Over without losing their wickets.

New Zealand also scored 15 runs off Jofra Archer's over, but England won on boundary count, triggering wild celebrations at Lord's as the hosts capped a stunning turnaround.

This was the first time a 50-over World Cup final was decided by a Super Over. 

What is Super Over?

Super Over also called a one-over eliminator or officially a one over per side eliminator  is a tie-breaking method used in limited-overs cricket matches, where both teams play a single, additional over of six balls to determine the winner of the match.

A match, which goes to a Super Over is officially declared a "tie", and won by the team who had scored the most runs in the Super Over. If the Super Over also ends in a tie, the winner is typically decided by the number of boundaries scored throughout the match.

A Super Over was first used in 2008 in Twenty20, replacing the bowl-out method that was previously used for breaking a tie.

The Super Over was introduced into One Day International cricket at the 2011 Cricket World Cup knockout stage, but it was left unused. For the following World Cup in 2015, only the final would be decided by a Super Over in the event of a tie.