The rule that gave birth to a never-ending controversy has been finally scrapped by the ICC. Finally it took just three months for the ICC to modify the rules.
The controversy
The ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 between New Zealand and England was finally decided by boundary count. A neck to neck encounter saw New Zealand and England were getting into Super Over only to produce a tie. So the trophy was given to England as they hit more boundaries in the allotted 50 overs and the Super Over combines.
Following that nerve-wracking game, the International Cricket Council for obvious reasons faced the wrath of fans and former players over the controversial rule. Although the Kiwi skipper Kane Williamson made a public statement that they respected the rules, the debate never stopped. There were demands for the Council to modify the rules at the soonest.
The new rule
Now the ICC has finally taken a call on the same. According to the new rules, in case of such situation where both teams are tied even after the Super Over in a final or semifinal, the Super Over will be repeated until there is a clear winner. So one side has to score more runs than others to claim the game.
Based on the recommendations made by the ICC Cricket Committee headed by former Indian skipper Anil Kumble, the Chief Executives’ Committee has agreed on Monday to change the rules. According to the Committee, the Super Over should be the only way to decide results at ICC events. “Both the Cricket Committee and CEC agreed it was an exciting and engaging conclusion to the game and will remain in place covering all games at both ODI and T20I World Cups,” the ICC has said after its board meeting.
It further has added, “In group stages, if the Super Over is tied, the match will be tied. In semifinals and finals, there is one change to the Super Over regulation in keeping with the basic principle of scoring more runs than the opponent to win, the Super Over will be repeated until one team has more runs than the other.”
