World Cup 2019: The three most nail-biting matches of the tournament

#1: West Indies vs New Zealand

Ross Taylor consoles a distraught Carlos Brathwaite

It was just another day in the office for Kane Williamson who scored a mammoth 148 to help New Zealand reach a total of 291 after having chosen to bat first. He was ably supported by Ross Taylor who scored 69 after both the openers got out for golden ducks. It was a red-letter day for Sheldon Cottrell, who was involved in seven of the eight Kiwi wickets.

In the second innings, Chris Gayle (87) and Shimron Hetmyer (54) notched up fifties and as long as they were at the crease, it seemed that West Indies had the upper hand. However, in a typically-unpredictable fashion, Gayle and Hetmyer threw away their wickets in quick succession. To make matters worse, Jason Holder also got out for a golden duck, which put all the burden on Carlos Brathwaite's broad shoulders.

Brathwaite went on hit, what will go down as, one of the best centuries to be scored under pressure in a World Cup game. He patiently batted with the tail and took a special liking to Matt Henry, off whom he smashed 25 runs in the 48th over. Before the last ball of the 49th over was bowled, the equation read 6 to win off 7 balls with only one wicket in hand. Since his partner at the other end was a No.11 batsman, the only options available to Brathwaite were to hit the winning shot off that ball itself, or take the single to retain the strike in the 50th over. He chose the former option and almost hit the ball for a maximum, only to find Trent Boult taking a wonderful balancing catch inches off the boundary rope.