New Zealand were at the receiving end of ICC tie-breaker rules in the World Cup 2019 final against England at Lord’s. The two teams posted 241 in their allotted 50 overs before the game went into the Super Over where once again they levelled tie. However, the hosts were declared winner on the basis of boundary count.
Almost 10 months later, Kiwi skipper Kane Williamson reflected on that heart-stopping finale, saying he still contemplates about the proceedings of the event and is yet to understand whether the campaign was bitter or sweet.
WATCH: Kane Williamson draws ‘fern’ on a cup of coffee; Steve Smith, Virat Kohli react
Speaking to veteran commentator Harsha Bhogle on Cricbuzz In Conversation, Williamson said: “To determine whether it was a high or a low takes a bit of time. And I’m still trying to work out what it was really.”
“We didn’t get the fruits but upon reflection, it was a pretty spectacular game to be a part of but a really difficult game to understand and get around because you were a part of the game,” he added.
The high-voltage final had also witnessed a controversial overthrow. With England needing 9 runs from the last three balls, New Zealand opener Martin Guptill threw the ball from deep square leg which accidentally hit the outstretched bat of a diving Ben Stokes and went to the boundary. In total, the hosts were awarded six runs – four for the resulting boundary and two for the batsmen’s running between the wickets.
Following the match, some experts including former umpire Simon Taufel opined that umpire Kumar Dharmasena made ‘an error of judgment’ in applying an unclear clause in the MCC’s laws and England should have been awarded five runs instead of six.
“Like any game, there are things on the outside that you can’t control, when there were so many things that were out of your control, pivotal things that were so late in the match. It meant that you were trying to make sense and it was very difficult to do that” Williamson said.
“And the [boundary count] controversy that surrounded it after that… But at the end of it, you sort of think what you’re here to do in the game, and that’s perhaps to take the game to better places while you have the opportunity to play. Despite being on the wrong side of the result you still think you played your part and were perhaps able to do that. It was an amazing experience, an incredibly exciting journey if you look at the bigger picture instead of the last couple of minutes. But a real shocker of a game,” he further remarked.
