This archive report was first published on 21 July 2019.
On July 14, 2019, the World Cup final between England and New Zealand ended in a nail-biting Super Over, with England emerging victorious. However, the umpire's decision to award England six runs from a freak overthrow in the last over has been widely criticized.
According to a report, Sri Lankan umpire Kumar Dharmasena admitted that he made an 'error' in awarding six runs, and that he should have given one run fewer. Dharmasena told the Sunday Times that he did not have the benefit of television replays at the time, which showed that the batsmen had not crossed for the second run.
Former leading umpire Simon Taufel had previously stated that the umpires made a 'clear mistake' in awarding six runs, as the batsmen had not crossed for their second run. However, Taufel also defended the match umpires, saying that they had to make a complicated judgement and that it would be 'unfair' to say that the decision altered the outcome of the tournament.
Despite Dharmasena's admission of error, the England team still lifted the trophy, having scored more boundaries in the Super Over.
