The World Cup Final was undoubtedly one of the most thrilling matches the World has witnessed. It was a close contest between New Zealand and England. Every ball and every run was crucial. And what finally decided the outcome of the match was a single run in the world cup 2019 final super over. Well, what if the single run that leads to the super over was a misjudgment on the Umpire’s part? Would England still have kept the Cup?
When the game took a turn towards the last over, the atmosphere of the Lord’s became superheated. Hence, from the players to the management to the umpire, everyone was under pressure. In the middle of this already tensed environment, a controversial overthrow came in the picture.
Ben Stokes Struck The Throw ‘Accidentally’
England was 9 runs far from the win at 3 balls. Seemed a critical target to achieve without sixes or fours. And with the efficient fielding of New Zealand, much off the limits. But on the third last ball of the inning, Michael Guptil’s throw was disrupted when the ball bounced off Ben Stokes. The ball then raced towards the third-man boundary. This happened as Ben Stokes dived to take a second run, desperate to keep the strike and his outstretched bat struck the ball.
Ben Stokes said it wasn’t deliberate and apologized to the team of New Zealand several times.
“I said to Kane Williamson, ‘I’ll be apologizing for that for the rest of my life.”
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The Umpire Gave 6 Runs To The Overthrow
Now the questionable part of the scenario that was later raised on social media was whether England deserved six or five runs. Umpire Kumar Dharmasena, after discussing with his colleagues signaled for six runs. Four for the overthrow boundary and two for the runs players ran. This decision was, however, taken based on ICC’s handbook, which says:
Social Media Experts Count It As Five Runs
Most of the Social Media Experts think the call was wrong by the Umpires and it should have been five runs instead of six for England. Since the replays show that Stokes and Adil Rashid for the second run had not crossed when Michael Guptill released the ball. When the ball struck Stokes bat and rolled to the boundary, he was still short of his crease.
However, the rule doesn’t clearly define what ‘act’ refers to. It could or could not mean the hitting of the ball on the bat. Anyhow the two captains remained silent on the matter.
What MCC’s Handbook Says About The Overthrow
The tweet below explains how MCC’s handbook has dealt with the ambiguity of the term ‘act’
So, although Law 19.8 regarding overthrows could potentially be interpreted two ways, this is from the E-Learning part of the MCC’s Laws page, intended to help you interpret the laws. And I can’t see any ambiguity here. It should have been 5 runs, not 6. pic.twitter.com/qM52xW76qm
— Brydon Coverdale (@brydoncoverdale) July 15, 2019
Simon Taufel, Former #1 Umpire, Called It A “Clear Mistake”
The former Umpire, known to the best of cricket history, has declared the decision of giving six runs a clear mistake. And his judgment clearly holds some weight. He said that it was a wrong call from Kumar Dharmasena and Marais Erasmus.
Talking to foxsports.com.au Taufel said, “They (England) should have been awarded five runs, not six. It’s a clear mistake … it’s an error of judgment. In the heat of what was going on, they thought there was a good chance the batsmen had crossed at the instant of the throw. Obviously, TV replays showed otherwise.” Taufel further added that the call was unfair.
What is your view of the World Cup Final? Let us know in the comments.
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