England have won the cricket world cup in a nail-biter against the Black Caps, The Silver Ferns are three from three in their netball world cup campaign and Novak Djokovic wins Wimbledon 2019. Footage/Sky Sport
New Zealand might not have won the World Cup final but Ben Stokes' father says "there is a bit of Kiwi on the cup."
Gerard Stokes, a Black Caps fan, said a draw would have been nice given he was supporting the men in black, and his son Ben Stokes as well.
Ben was named man of the match after scoring an unbeaten 84, then finishing the job in a tie-breaking Super Over and boundary countback.
And it's a moment his father believes the 28-year-old Kiwi-born English all-rounder was made for.
"[A draw] would've been nice but there's always got to be a winner in a world cup," he told Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive on Newstalk ZB yesterday.
"The way that Ben batted was a tribute to both teams in the way that they tried so hard to win that cup.
"He was over the moon being a part of that match and also have an influence on the result as well ... the way he played epitomised both teams I think."
Stokes' odyssey as a rugby league coach led to his son Ben lacing up for the English cricket team.
Ben Stokes reacts after the scores finished tied at the end of the Cricket World Cup final. Photo / AP
Ben was 12 years old when the family arrived in England and his junior cricket years were filled with hours of travel every week from the family's Cumbria home to training sessions and games in Durham.
Stokes, speaking to Newstalk ZB from his Christchurch home, moved back to New Zealand with his wife Deborah back in 2013.
Despite having a foot in both camps so to speak, he always did and continues to support New Zealand, while also backing his son.
"I've got a lot of friends in England and a lot of friends in the England set-up as well, it's just a matter of supporting both", he said.
"It's quite a difficult balance and doesn't work most of the time but I give it a go."
England was crowned as the victors of the tournament after a countback of boundaries hit following two draws, after both innings and a Super Over.
England's Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler react at the end of their Super Over. Photo / AP
There were claims of New Zealand being robbed of victory but Stokes said it was written in the rules before the match even started.
"I don't understand why [people think they were robbed]," he told Newstalk ZB.
"Everybody understood the rules and they were made very aware of what was going to happen in the final over."
He was sympathetic for the New Zealand supporters, who like he, many of whom watched the game in its entirety, to watch the fall so close.