Twittersphere reacts to England’s controversial Cricket World Cup win

Following 102 overs and a tie after a tie, it was England who lifted the ICC Cricket World Cup trophy on boundaries scored in the match (England 26-17 New Zealand) after the tournament’s first Super Over could not decide the winner.

Having been embarrassingly knocked out in the first round of the last World Cup in 2015, England came into this competition as favorites but at one stage almost found themselves eliminated once again.

Many are hailing England batsman Ben Stokes as the “hero of world cup final,” with one Twitter user writing that he “made his team world champions.”

“There wasn’t a lot in that game,” said England captain Eoin Morgan. “It was a hard, hard game where people found it hard to score.”

Meanwhile, New Zealand captain Kane Williamson said that there were “so many small parts in that match that could have gone either way,” and that his players had “performed at such a high level throughout the tournament.”

New Zealand scored 241 off their 50 overs. After 49 tense overs, England needed 15 runs off their last over. On the fourth ball of the over, England were awarded 6 runs after an incoming throw hit Stokes’ bat and went for 4 as he completed 2 runs.

This sparked controversy as International Cricket Council (ICC) law states that the run only counts if the batsman had completed it at the moment that the ball was thrown (Law 19.8). Several Twitter users argued that it was clear that this wasn’t the case and only 5 runs should have been awarded. Many speculated that this 1 run could have changed the outcome of the match in New Zealand’s favor.

England ended their innings at 241, tying the game and resulting in a Super Over, in which both teams play one additional over of six balls. The Super Over was again a tie, with 15 runs each, meaning that England won because they scored more boundaries in the match.

Indian writer Chetan Bhagat compared the deciding factor to two students receiving the same mark on a test.

One user posted a funny video to demonstrate the unfair nature of England’s win.

Another user, TheKingSays, shared his frustration at the ICC’s “ridiculous rules.”