ICC scraps off the Super Over rule

The ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 was one of the most widely followed global sporting events across all sports. It was a visual treat for the fans across the globe with the level of competitiveness, which was on display for the entire course of the tournament. The competition witnessed a fitting end with a rather engrossing and dramatic World Cup final that saw the game go down to the wire. 

In a humdinger of a clash, the final of the Cricket World Cup between hosts England and New Zealand had to take the route of a Super Over as nothing separated the two sides even after 100 overs of cricket. This turned out to be more dramatic as the Super over also resulted in a tie; however, based upon the superior boundary count rule, England were crowned the World Champions.

This rule, however, raised quite a few eyebrows and was widely criticized by cricket pundits and ex-cricketers, forcing the ICC to consider about bringing reforms in deciding the result of such matches. It was considered unfair on New Zealand who were as good as England on the day except their boundary count - 17 which fell seven short of England's 22 fours and two sixes. 

As a result, even the apex body realized and considered the opinion to eliminate the boundary count rule in case of a tied Super Over. 

As per ICC"s new proposed rule, if at all a Super Over results in a tie, it will lead to another Super Over contest until one of the teams gets the better of the opposition by either scoring more runs or defending the target. This rule, however, will be applicable only in the World Cup semi-finals or the final. In case a tied Super Over scenario occurs in the league stage, the match will be declared tie. 

The change in the rule received much appreciation from the cricket fraternity after Anil Kumble-led ICC Cricket Committee agreed on a law that would be a fair call for both the teams. 

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