5 RUNS, NOT 6: Rule oversight in World Cup final might have cost New Zealand dearly
Even as the cricketing world is divided over the boundary rule that gave England their maiden ICC World Cup title in the Super Over, another incident of a rule oversight has come to light that might have cost New Zealand dearly.
In a dramatic final at Lord's on Sunday, a throw from Kiwi fielder Martin Guptill from the deep proved to be decisive in the final over of the England run chase, with the ball hitting Ben Stokes's bat and ricocheting to the boundary as he was completing the second run.
On-field umpires Kumar Dharmasena and Marais Erasmus gave it six runs, bringing the equation down from nine runs off three balls to three off two.
However, going by the rule book of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) – cricket's law-making body – England should have been awarded five runs, not six, and tailender Adil Rashid should have been on strike for the next ball, not the set Stokes.
MCC's Law 19.8 reads: "If the boundary results from an overthrow … the runs scored shall be: any runs for penalties awarded to either side … and the runs completed by the batsmen, together with the run in progress if they had already crossed at the instant of the throw or act."
The key part is the last sentence, which says the run in progress should be awarded only if the batsmen cross the moment the fielder throws the ball. On Sunday, Stokes and Rashid had not crossed each other when Guptill swung his arm.
Sure, it can't be said for certain that this had a definite impact on the result. But there's no doubt that England were awarded an extra run, the wrong batsman was on strike for the penultimate ball, and it was an oversight by the umpires.
In this day and age of cricket where technology is used widely, the third umpire could well have alerted the on-field umpires about whether the batsmen had crossed. Remember, the third umpire is consulted for even the smallest of things these days.
Simon Taufel, the former Australian umpire regarded as one of the best and who is now a part of the MCC's laws sub-committee, told Fox Sports, "It's a clear mistake. It's an error of judgment. They (England) should have been awarded five runs, not six."
This development comes at a time when the International Cricket Council (ICC) is already facing flak for its boundary rule to determine the winner if the Super Over is also tied, like it was in the final.
Despite New Zealand matching England in the Super Over, the hosts won the World Cup as they had scored more boundaries in the game than New Zealand (26 as compared to Kiwis' 17).
A host of former and current international players expressed their disapproval of the rule, urging the ICC to reconsider it.
India opener Rohit Sharma tweeted: "Some rules in cricket definitely needs a serious look in." Former New Zealand all-rounder Scott Styris called ICC a "joke", while Gautam Gambhir labelled it a "ridiculous rule".
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