From Wimbledon to the Cricket World Cup, 71 incomprehensible minutes which may never be matched

It wasn’t meant to be like this. World number one Novak Djokovic was meant to see off the sturdy challenge of 20-time major winner Roger Federer in a tight, but not too tight, Wimbledon men’s singles final. Seven miles north, the world’s best cricket team, England, were meant to see off a resilient New Zealand side in a tight, but not too tight, World Cup final.

It wasn’t meant to be like this. At 4:26pm, Djokovic was one set from closing out his fifth Wimbledon crown. Nine minutes earlier, England were progressing steadily at 59-1, surely shoo-ins for a maiden world title chasing a measly 241. On Centre Court, 14,978 spectators engrossed in the contest in front of them. At Lord’s, the irrefutable home of cricket, two nations desperate to be the sixth on the World Cup trophy. The 30,000 captivated onlookers had no idea of what was to come.

What was to follow was, indeed, captivating. At 5:06pm: defending champion Djokovic, seemingly insistent on only winning sets of tennis via tie-breaks, loses the fourth set 6-4 to a resurgent Federer. Though while Djokovic is level, England are now crumbling: 98-4, Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler are at the crease. The country’s last hopes as afternoon turns into evening.

The next sequence of events were both spectacles slowly bubbling up. Djokovic and Federer were, bar breaks exchanged midway through the fifth set, holding serve with aplomb, while Stokes and Buttler were slowly plodding along, building what needed to be a match-winning partnership. However, within minutes, the bubbles had evaporated.

The first twist? At 6:19pm, Federer breaks serve at 7-7 in the deciding set, with a wondrous whip of his magic forehand wand cross-court. The Swiss will serve for the match, a ninth Wimbledon title, and a 21st Grand Slam. A couple of minutes later, Stokes and Buttler have both hit half-centuries and England need 53 runs from 36 balls. But it’d be OK, because Federer would hold with ease and you could switch from BBC One to Channel 4/Sky One/Sky Sports Main Event/Sky Sports Cricket for a thrilling run-chase, right?

Wrong. At 6:24pm, Federer squanders two championship points, and loses four points on the trot as Djokovic breaks straight back for 8-8. A couple of minutes later, Buttler is caught deep in the boundary by substitute fielder Tim Southee, and England’s run-chase suddenly doesn’t seem so achievable as Chris Woakes strolls out of the pavilion.

In SW19, bang on seven o’clock, the match was concluding because, as opposed to years gone by, it had to. A final-set tie-break at 12-12, a first in singles competition at Wimbledon and by this point, the longest final in Wimbledon history. A fitting way for it to finish: a tennis match stretched to the very limit of what a tennis match can be stretched to.

In St John’s Wood, bang on seven o’clock, Trent Boult breaks the stumps to run out Mark Wood, and the teams are deadlocked on 241. We have a tie. Does it go down to group stage position? Does it go down to wickets lost? Does the trophy get shared by captains Eoin Morgan and Kane Williamson? No. It’s a super-over. Barmy. A cricket match stretched to the very limit of what a cricket match can be stretched to.

And the rest? Well, you know the rest. It’s 10 past seven when Djokovic completes a hat-trick of tie-breaks by seven points to three, to the disappointment of the pro-Federer crowd, and wins a 297-minute marathon. At exactly the same time, Boult is steaming in to face Stokes at the start of the super-over finale. Then, at half past seven, Buttler breaks the stumps on the final ball – just like Boult did in ‘normal time’ – to run out Martin Guptill. Another tie! England win a 525-minute marathon, and are world champions by virtue of the number of boundaries scored.

From 6:19pm to 7:30pm, an incomprehensible 71 minutes of action-packed, engrossing and spectacular theatre. For a Sunday time slot usually filled with a choice of Super Sunday reaction, the news and Countryfile, not half bad. To have the conclusions of two sporting pinnacles finish near-concurrently, in the same city, with agony and euphoria in perfect harmony, really is something to treasure.

At the end of it all, England are world champions. Novak Djokovic is the Wimbledon champion. A simultaneous, mind-boggling day of stupendous sporting drama. We may never see its like again.