In the greatest ODI match of all time, the scorebook could not separate New Zealand and England in the World Cup final. There were two ties. The 50-over match ended at 241 runs each. The super over also ended at 15 runs each. But as per ICC rules, a winner had to be decided. So England won.
England did not deserve to win, yet they also earned the victory. That sounds strange, but the scenario was unusual. New Zealand were let down by two rarely used rules that many feel are illogical. There was also a possible umpiring error in how one rule was applied.
England did not make these rules. They did not break any rules. They spent four years improving their ODI cricket to reach this moment. Luck fell in their favour, but that is not their fault. England are worthy champions.
The Kiwis were punished for a deflection caused by a running batsman. The rules also used boundaries scored as the deciding factor in a countback. This seemed unfair because the fielding side made no error. In cricket, batsmen do not run on deflections because it is not fair. But when the ball deflects to the boundary, the rules change. Critics argue this should not happen. The ball should be dead in such cases. England should get the runs they completed and nothing more.
The ICC also needs to change the super over countback rule. It does not make sense to decide a winner based on boundaries. A better alternative is needed.
If this had happened to Australia, India, or England themselves, the reaction would have been much louder. Many other players would have protested strongly. Lawyers might even have gotten involved. The Kiwis, however, took it calmly. Their captain Kane Williamson shrugged it off.
2019 World Cup Final Umpires Admit Match-Changing Mistake
The on-field umpires of the 2019 World Cup final admitted they made a massive error in the last over. The mistake turned out to be a deciding factor in the match.
The final between England and New Zealand is considered one of the greatest ODI matches ever. It was also one of the most controversial. Even years later, discussions are still ongoing. New information continues to come out.
New Zealand batted first and scored 241 for 8. The match went down to the wire. England needed 15 runs off the last over. Six runs came from the first three balls. With 9 needed off 3 balls, Ben Stokes went for a boundary. Trent Boult bowled a low full toss. Stokes didn’t get the gap. The ball went to Martin Guptill at deep mid-wicket. Guptill collected and threw towards the striker’s end.
Stokes came back for the second run to keep the strike. It was a close one. He dived to reach the crease. Guptill’s throw hit Stokes’ bat and raced away to the boundary. England got four lucky runs. Because they had also run two, it resulted in six runs. That is where the error was made.
Umpire Marais Erasmus later explained what happened. He said the next morning, Kumar Dharmasena opened his hotel room door and said, “Did you see we made a massive error?” Erasmus said that was when he got to know about it. He admitted that on the field, they just said six without realizing the batsmen had not crossed.
Law 19.8 of the MCC rulebook states that if the boundary results from an overthrow, the runs scored include the boundary and the runs completed by the batsmen. Only one run is counted if they had not crossed at the time of the throw,. In this case, Stokes and Adil Rashid had not crossed when Guptill released the ball. They had completed only one run. England should have received five runs, not six.
The match should not have gone to a Super Over. New Zealand would have won the World Cup in the regulation 50 overs.
FAQs.
Q. Why should England have received only five runs?
A. The batsmen had not crossed when the throw was released.
Q. What was the umpiring mistake in the 2019 World Cup final?
A. England were awarded six runs instead of five after the overthrow.
Q. Which umpires admitted the mistake?
A. Marais Erasmus and Kumar Dharmasena later acknowledged the error.
Q. How was the 2019 World Cup winner decided?
A. England won after both the match and Super Over ended in a tie.
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