ICC World Cup 2019 | We have got the trophy and we intend to keep it, says Ashley Giles
Ashley Giles has reaffirmed that England, who have been declared champions, have no intention to surrender their trophy. This comes in response to the overthrow controversy, which was fanned to flame by former umpire Simon Taufel, who said that England should’ve been awarded five runs, and not six.
In case you already forgot the drama that ensued in the final overs of the World Cup, here’s a brief reminder: England needed nine to win off three balls, when Ben Stokes hit one out to deep midwicket and set out to run two to retain strike. However, the throw that came in from Martin Guptill ricocheted off Stokes and ran away to the boundary. Six runs were added to England’s total.
While many fans were fuming at the toss of luck that went the hosts' way, ex-umpire Simon Taufel noted that England were unlawfully awarded an extra run. Taufel is a five-time winner of the International Cricket Council's Umpire of the Year award, and currently sits on the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) laws sub-committee, the worldwide custodian of cricket's sometimes obscure rules of play. However, Ashley Giles, the ECB Director of Cricket, had strong words in reply.
"You could argue the last ball that (Trent) Boult bowled was a full toss on leg stump and if Stokes hadn't just been looking for two, he probably would've banged it out of the ground anyway. We are world champions; we have got the trophy and we intend to keep it," Giles told AFP.
But, Giles seems to be missing a key point that Taufel, had mentioned in addition to the umpiring error. Taufel told Fox Sports Australia that the umpires had made a "clear mistake", as the batsmen had not crossed for their second run when the ball was thrown in by the fielder.
"They should have been awarded five runs, not six," he said, but also added that tailender Adil Rashid should have faced the second-to-last ball instead of Stokes. However, Giles said he wasn’t concerned about any of this.
Taufel, despite his criticism of the decision, defended the umpires who had to make a complicated judgement in a crunch moment. Even, the losing captain Kane Williamson was not too bothered by the incident, noting that similar events happen from time to time.
"It was a shame that the ball hit Stokes' bat. Unfortunately that sort of thing happens from time to time. It's a part of the game that we play," Williamson said.
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