“To me and to the team, and everybody who has been involved over the last four years, it means absolutely everything. The planning, the hard work, the dedication, the commitment and the little bit of luck today really did get us over the line,” Morgan told reporters at Lord’s, after a historic final, where both the 50-over score and Super Over score were tied, before the match was won by England on a superior boundary count.

“We’re only newcomers to this [New Zealand’s never-say-die ODI spirit], and we want to be as consistent as them come the next World Cup, with aspirations like that. But to get over the line reaffirms everything that we have done over the last four years and justifies it as well.”

It was a match settled on the slimmest of margins that gave England their first World Cup trophy. But despite the tension that ensued after the match had been brought down to a Super Over, a composed Morgan kept his side’s nerves under check, instilling a positive sense of belief.

“I’d like to commiserate Kane Williamson and his team. The fight they show is worth aspiring to, the example they set is commendable to all,” Morgan told Sky Sports after the match.

“The most admirable thing is the way they played their cricket,” Morgan later told reporters, “to consistently perform and compete against the very best on different stages throughout the year. They are the best, and they do it in a fashion that you’d have no qualms in turning around to your kid and saying, ‘Please idolise these guys, they are very admirable’. They are.”