World Cup 2019: England and New Zealand lock horns in the finals as they attempt to claim maiden World Cup crown. LIVE UPDATES here

New Zealand bring up their 100 in the 22nd over.

New Zealand in trouble as Kane Williamson departs.

New Zealand are 103/2.

Opener Henry Nicholls anchors New Zealand's innings with a fine half-century.

Opener Henry Nicholls is dismissed by Liam Plunkett after a steady knock of 55 runs. 

At 30 overs, New Zealand are 125-3.

New Zealand in a spot of bother after Ross Taylor's dismissal.

New Zealand are 141/4.

Jimmy Neesham gets caught off Liam Plunkett. 

J Neesham 19(25)   c Root    b Plunkett

At 39 overs, New Zealand are 173-5

How much will the Kiwis score in the last 10 overs?

After 40 overs, New Zealand are 179/5.

New Zealand reach 200 in the 44th over.

Chris Woakes picks up his third wicket, scalps Tom Latham for 47.

New Zealand are 232/7.

Jofra Archer castles Matt Henry as he picks up his first wicket.

New Zealand are 240/8.

English bowlers restrict New Zealand to 241/8 in their 50 overs.

Can Kiwis defend 241 or will the English batsmen chase it down easily? 

Live action coming up.

The hosts are off to a cautious start.

After 2 overs, England are 5/0.

Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy break the shackles. 

After 5 overs England are 24/0.

Matt Henry scalps the wicket of dangerous Jason Roy.

J Roy 17(20)   c Latham  b Henry

At 5.4 overs, England are 28-1  

An excellent maiden over from Matt Henry.

After 10 overs, New Zealand are 39/1.

Matt Henry bowls his second maiden over and New Zealand's third one.

After 12 overs, England are 39/1.

OUT! That's a big wicket. The pressure was mounting on Joe Root and he has succumbed to it. He departs for an unsavory 30-ball 7

England are 59/2.

Lockie Ferguson removes Jonny Bairstow to cause panic in the English camp.

England are 71/3.

England sink into further trouble as skipper Eoin Morgan falls.

The hosts are 86/4.

100 runs up for England in 27.3 overs.

Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler add 50 runs for the fifth wicket stand.

Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes score their respective fifties and add 100 runs for the fifth wicket stand.

Jos Buttler's wicket opens up the contest.

England are 196/5.

Ferguson ignites New Zealand's hopes by removing Chris Woakes.

New Zealand are 203/6.

England losing their way as Liam Plunkett departs.

The hosts are 220/7.

Jofra Archer is castled for a golden duck. 

England are 227/8.

Adil Rashid run out without facing a ball.

England are 240/9.

World Cup final witnesses a last ball thriller. Game all set to enter Super Over to decide the winner. 

England pulls off a thriller as they beat New Zealand in the Super Over to clinch their maiden World Cup title. 

After 48 games, two of the best teams England and New Zealand will be battling it out for the coveted trophy as they lock horns against each other in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 final at Lord's on Sunday. Both teams will be aiming to win their maiden world title. The hosts have reached the finals on three occasions in 1979, 1987 and 1992 respectively but ended up faltering at the final hurdle.  Meanwhile, the Kiwis have reached the summit clash for the second consecutive time. They had made it to the finals in the last edition under Brendon McCullum's captaincy but went down to Australia in a lopsided contest. As England will be looking to get fourth time lucky, the Kiwis will be eager to bury the ghosts of 2015.

The underdogs New Zealand had stunned the favourites India in the first semi-final by 18 runs while England demolished their arch-rivals and former champions Australia by eight wickets in the other semi-final.

READ: World Cup: Fans May Not Like England Skipper Eoin Mogan's Big Prediction For Final Versus New Zealand

Whatever the condition of the pitch is, England wouldn’t mind bowling first as Joffra Archer (19 wickets), Chris Woakes (13 wickets) and Liam Plunkett (8 wickets) have been phenomenal. Even Mark Wood (17 wickets), despite some inconsistencies, has been good and Adil Rashid (11 wickets) has fired in the semi-final when it mattered. New Zealand, despite their final loss to Australia at an imposing MCG, wouldn’t carry much of baggage even though they have six players with the experience of playing a big final, unlike England which has none.

Roy (426 runs) and Bairstow (496 runs) have been intimidating in this tournament and Trent Boult and Matt Henry would love to repeat their semi-final show in the final too. Joe Root (549) has exactly been what England needed in the tournament, a stable man holding the middle-order yet playing his strokes. Ben Stokes has teed off whenever he got a chance and perhaps Buttler is the only who is due for a big knock.

Williamson (548 runs), possibly the most loved and respected cricketer (even if his twitter following is remarkably less than any average India player), will like to play one good knock and expect a bit more support from Martin Guptill (167 runs) and Ross taylor (335 runs). Then a bit more support from a disciplined Mitchell Santner or the real ‘three-dimensional’ players like Jimmy Neesham and Colin de Grandhomme, the Black Caps could suddenly look more menacing than what they seem on paper.

In the end however, even if England win, cricket will never ever topple football. Ditto for New Zealand where ‘All Blacks’ – the world beaters in rugby has captured the imagination for years now, and a cricket World Cup is unlikely to change that. But it will still be a refreshing change as 50-over format will enjoy a breath of fresh air.

Whatever the condition of the pitch is, England wouldn't mind bowling first as Joffra Archer (19 wickets), Chris Woakes (13 wickets) and Liam Plunkett (8 wickets) have been phenomenal.

At the hallowed Lord’s, England will certainly start as favourites with perhaps the most destructive 50-over batting line-up comprising Jonny Bairstow, Jason Roy, Joe Root, Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes.

The world order in cricket will witness a new dawn when a title-starved England, led by an Irish, meet their match in New Zealand’s feisty Black Caps in a World Cup final that will produce a new champion come Sunday. England’s global ambitions have never been fully realised since Sir Alf Ramsey’s team won the 1966 FIFA World Cup. Whether it is Gary Linekar or Hary Kane, the ‘Cup’ that they desperately want never came home during the last five and half decades. Even the ‘Three Lionesses’ – England’s women football team under their mercurial manager Phil Neville — had insane following during their World Cup campaign that ended in a heartbreaking semi-final defeat.

This was at a time when Eoin Morgan’s men were going through a roller coaster ride but were hardly followed. Parched for success, in this backdrop arrives a cricket team, which on other days can’t be followed because the sport in UK is no longer free to air. But on Sunday, as all roads would lead towards Saint John’s Woods, for a day, football will take a back seat.

Never ever had an England limited overs team fired the imagination of cricket loving public in general with their aggressive brand of cricket like the current one, the turnaround that started after their exit at the group league stage of the 2015 World Cup. New Zealand, on the other hand, have banked on a committed bunch of individuals with a quiet yet assertive leader in stylish Kane Williamson, who would like to go one better than his predecessor Brendon McCullum during the last edition.

At the hallowed Lord’s, England will certainly start as favourites with perhaps the most destructive 50-over batting line-up comprising Jonny Bairstow, Jason Roy, Joe Root, Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes. The ‘Famous Five’ of England’s ’50-50′ line-up would like to ensure that they are fourth time lucky after missing out in 1979, 1987 and 1992. They are way superior in quality from the batch of 1979 that played final against the mighty West Indies. The legend has it that Mike Brearley (64 off 130 balls) and Geoffrey Boycott (57 off 105 balls) during their 129-run stand in pursuit of 287 off 60 overs (quite an ask in those days) were so defensive in their approach that West Indies didn’t want to get them out.

In 1987, England captain Mike Gatting played the most infamous reverse sweep off his opposite number Allan Border in the history of the game which cost them the final at the Eden Gardens. The 1992 though was more about a genius called Wasim Akram, who bowled a couple of deliveries to Ian Botham and Allan Lamb that one could dream of but would find extremely difficult to execute. However those were the teams of different eras where Test players also played 50-over cricket. This team has Test players who are also game changers in ODI cricket with their explosive power-hitting skills.

Roy (426 runs) and Bairstow (496 runs) have been intimidating in this tournament and Trent Boult and Matt Henry would love to repeat their semi-final show in the final too. Joe Root (549) has exactly been what England needed in the tournament, a stable man holding the middle-order yet playing his strokes. Ben Stokes has teed off whenever he got a chance and perhaps Buttler is the only who is due for a big knock.

Whatever the condition of the pitch is, England wouldn’t mind bowling first as Joffra Archer (19 wickets), Chris Woakes (13 wickets) and Liam Plunkett (8 wickets) have been phenomenal. Even Mark Wood (17 wickets), despite some inconsistencies, has been good and Adil Rashid (11 wickets) has fired in the semi-final when it mattered. New Zealand, despite their final loss to Australia at an imposing MCG, wouldn’t carry much of a baggage even though they have six players with the experience of playing a big final, unlike England which has none.

Williamson (548 runs), possibly the most loved and respected cricketer (even if his twitter following is remarkably less than any average India player), will like to play one good knock and expect a bit more support from Martin Guptill (167 runs) and Ross taylor (335 runs). Then a bit more support from a disciplined Mitchell Santner or the real ‘three-dimensional’ players like Jimmy Neesham and Colin de Grandhomme, the Black Caps could suddenly look more menacing than what they seem on paper.

In the end, however, even if England win, cricket will never ever topple football. Ditto for New Zealand where ‘All Blacks’ – the world beaters in rugby has captured the imagination for years now, and a cricket World Cup is unlikely to change that. But it will still be a refreshing change as 50-over format will enjoy a breath of fresh air.

READ: World Cup | Upbeat Pool-side Shikhar Dhawan Says His Recovery's Going Great, Netizens Tell Him How Much They Miss Him

(With PTI Inputs)

England: Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (wk), Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, James Vince, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.

New Zealand: Kane Williamson (captain), Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Ross Taylor, Tom Latham (wk), Tom Blundell, Colin de Grandhomme, Jimmy Neesham, Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Mitchell Samtner, Henry Nicholls, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi.

The match starts at 3 PM IST.

Unlike the first semi-final, which went into the reserve day, the weather gods have been kind enough as there are no possibilities of rain.

On the eve of the finals clash between the Kiwis and England, the contest will be aired for free across the entire country of United Kingdom on Sunday.

England has reached the finals thrice and will be looking to get lucky for the fourth time. 

Who will have the last laugh at Lord's?

Excitement knows no bounds for age as supporters are seen rushing in to the Lord's Cricket Ground as the gates are thrown open for the summit clash.

After closing the airspace above the Lord's Cricket Grounds, keeping in mind the anti-national banners that were flown over the grounds during the group stage matches, a truck with a similar message was spotted near the grounds. Take a look at it here:

New Zealand wins the toss and elect to bat first.  

High-octane finale on the clash as Kiwi openers Martin Guptill and Henry Nicholls come out to the middle.

English bowlers keeping New Zealand batsmen at bay.

New Zealand are 10/0 after 3 overs.

Guptill and Nicholls ensure a good start for the Kiwis.

After 5 overs, New Zealand are 24/0.

Chris Woakes strikes for England as he removes Martin Guptill.

New Zealand are 29/1.

New Zealand are 33/1 after 10 overs.

Henry Nicholls 10 (30)

Kane Williamson 1 (12)

At 15 overs, New Zealand are 63-1

At 20 overs, New Zealand are  91-1