Won World Cup Because of an Error?

 

Simon Taufel, a five-time ICC Umpire of the Year Awardee 

Simon Taufel, former international umpire, and representative of the commission that supervises cricket’s rules and guidelines has acknowledged that bestowing England six runs because of the overthrow in the last over was an absolute blunder. England required nine runs off three balls when a throw from Martin Guptill inadvertently hit a diving Ben Stokes’ bat and went away for four. The umpires gave England six runs, as opposed to five which as stated by the former Australian umpire was an error. This not only awarded England an extra run but also ultimately kept Ben Stokes on strike for the last two balls.

Simon Taufel who happens to be a five-time winner of the ICC’s Umpire of the Year award asserts that the umpires made a mistake in implementing the MCC laws. While talking to told foxsports.com.au on Monday he said:

They (England) should have been awarded five runs, not six. It’s a clear mistake. It’s an error of judgment.

The relevant clause from the MCC rulebook is the following:

Rule 19.8: Overthrow or willful act of a fielderIf the boundary results from an overthrow or from the willful act of a fielder, the runs scored shall be:— any runs for penalties awarded to either side
— and the allowance for the boundary— 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.

If the rules were applied the way Taufel described then England would have required four runs from the last two deliveries and Adil Rashid would have been on strike, in place of Stokes since replays showed that the two had not crossed.

The former umpire, however, said that the call “influenced the game”, but articulated that it should not be considered as costing New Zealand the World Cup. I think he was being too generous to say that. Taufel defended the umpires and said that that moment involved so many moving parts, and stressed that it would be unfair to say that this moment decided the match. Well, actually it did!

The players, both on the field and in the pavilion with the support staff, did not note Adil Rashid and Ben Stokes had not crossed. A lot would have been going through their minds in that crunch situation but it is remarkable that neither the TV umpire nor the match referee or any other official noted anything unlawful.
Bad luck New Zealand!

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