England bowler Jofra Archer privately grieved during the cricket World Cup after his cousin was shot dead in Barbados, his father said.
Archer, 24, bowled the super over which helped England win the tournament by the slenderest of margins against New Zealand on Sunday.
The victory came after a murder investigation was launched into the death of Ashantio Blackman, also 24, who was killed outside his home in St Philip, eastern Barbados, in May.
Blackman was shot dead the day after England's World Cup campaign started with a 104-run win against South Africa.
Archer took 20 wickets in 11 innings during the tournament despite grieving the loss of his cousin.
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His father Frank Archer, 55, told the Times: "[His cousin] is the same age as Jofra and they were really close, he even messaged him in the days before he died.
"Jofra was really affected by his death but had to carry on."
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Archer was born in Barbados but qualified for a British passport thanks to his father, who added: "People have been questioning his Britishness, but him playing for England has shown he will inspire everyone to play cricket, because it's usually seen as an elitist sport."
Ben Stokes, whose 84 runs led to a player of the match award after the final, wrote in the Daily Mirror that the celebrations led to "the latest night I've had for a very, very long time".
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The batsman competed in the tournament after being cleared of affray in August 2018.
He wrote: "After what I've been through, it does make these moments feel all the sweeter because you are going to have ups and downs, but it is how you cope with it that matters.
"It was great to eventually get hold of mum and dad back in New Zealand as well, they were over the moon.
"Redemption is a word that people have been using, but that is not something I'm thinking about. I certainly wasn't thinking about it while I was trying to win the game."
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