Cricket World Cup 2015: ‘Super Over’ Will Decide If It’s A ‘Tie’ – Old Rules Reinstated, Umpires Given More Powers

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has chosen to reinstate the use of a “Super Over” in case there is a “tie” in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 final. The cricketing board has also offered more power to the umpires for penalizing errant players.

The ICC Board held its first meeting of 2015 at the ICC Headquarters in Dubai on Wednesday, and took some major decisions that can change how the game is played and perceived. India, the chosen country to host this year’s Twenty20 World Cup, scheduled to be held from March 11 to April 3 in 2016, is all set too, confirmed the ICC Board.

Interestingly, these rules as well as the venues now closely replicate the arrangement for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 final. Recently held ICC events too had the provision of determining the winner on the day of the final (provided the weather permitted) by asking both the sides to participate in the “Super Over.” It was collectively felt that this method was the most credible way to separate the two sides and decide a winner amicably, methodically and apolitically.

A Super Over, also called an Eliminator or a one-over-per-side eliminator, is a tie-breaking method used in limited-overs cricket matches. The Super Over is a reduced version of the match that consists only of one over (six balls) and two wickets for each team. The winning team of the Super Over is declared the winner of the match. Interestingly, neither the runs scored by the batsmen nor the wickets taken by the fielding team are added to the statistical record of the players.

The ICC Board reaffirmed its support for the umpires admonishing poor player behavior, particularly leading into and during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. The ICC board took serious note of the accident that killed Australia batsman Phillip Hughes during a first-class match. As a result of the freak accident, players are expected to actively wear new helmets that comply with the new British Safety Standards.

Apart from safety of the players, ICC insisted that all captains will enter the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 without any over-rate “strikes” against their names, and they will only be suspended from playing in an ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 match if over-rate offences are committed during the event. In the past, quite a few captains have been accused of deliberately slowing down the pace of “overs” delivered.

Super Over for #CWC15 final reinstated; captains to enter with zero slow over-rate ‘strikes’ http://t.co/vnWxuevxp9

— ICC Media (@ICCMediaComms) January 29, 2015

The ICC World Cup 2015 is expected to commence on Valentine’s Day, but teams certainly may not play each other in a loving manner.

[Image Credit | International Cricket Council]