Coach Stead appealed for cricket’s rules to be reviewed after finals.
New Zealand coach Gary Stead called for the ICC Cricket World Cup’s rules to be reviewed and changed after Sunday’s ‘hollow’ final where England won because of superior boundaries. A winner could not be distinguished because, after the regulation match and the additional overs, they were tied.
“It’s a very, very hollow feeling that you can play 100 overs and score the same amount of runs and still lose the game, but that’s the technicalities of sport,” said Stead. He added a match such as that deserves to be determined in a better way - especially since many are calling it as the greatest one-day international ever played. “There’s going to be many things they overlook at over the whole tournament… I’m sure that when they were writing the rules, they never expected a World Cup final to happen like that,” he added. “I’m sure it will be reviewed and that there are many different ways that they will probably explore.”
He also wasn’t aware of people saying that England was given six runs instead of five. “I didn’t know that… But at the end of the day, the umpires are there to rule. They’re human as just like players, and sometimes there’s a mistake but that’s just the human aspect of sports.”
Kane Williamson also said that they were defeated because of the ‘fine print’ of the rules. He said that it was a bit embarrassing that they lost that way, but they did agree to the rules of the game and there was nothing they could do. “At the end of the day, nothing separated us. No one lost the final, but there was a crowned winner and there it is,” he said.
The ICC Cricket World Cup is played in the One-Day International (ODI) form of the game. There are many teams that can compete in the tournament, but they must first play and win the qualifying matches. To find out more about the different cricket leagues, visit Betwala's page.
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