ICC World Cup 2019: “Can You Take That Four Runs Off”: Ben Stokes to The Umpire

ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 ended on a dramatic fashion where the game ended in a tie. Although the game was on New Zealand‘s side till the final over when England needed 15 runs to win. However, a throw from Martin Guptill changed the situation. His throw hit the bat of Ben Stokes and went for a boundary which gave them extra four runs. After that, Stokes asked the on-field umpire whether the runs are valid.

While speaking on the BBC’s Tailenders podcast, James Anderson said that Stokes had actually asked the on-field umpires to overturn the boundary from the overthrow by Martin Guptill which means England had to score four more runs which might cost their win.

“The etiquette in cricket is if the ball is thrown at the stumps and it hits you and goes into a gap in the field you don’t run,” Anderson told. “But if it goes to the boundary, in the rules it’s four and you can’t do anything about it. I think, talking to Michael Vaughan who saw him after the game, Ben Stokes actually went to the umpires and said, ‘Can you take that four runs off. We don’t want it,” he added.

“But it’s in the rules and that’s the way it is. It’s been talked about for a while among the players, potentially that being a dead ball if it does hit the batsman and veer off somewhere,” the England player further said. “It was truly an incredible question to ask of the umpires, considering the gravity of the situation and the fact it would have left England struggling to force a tie after 50 overs of batting.”

Stokes was visibly confused as well as concerned with the bonus four runs from the throw and was seen throwing his hands up to apologise for the surprising incident, before revealing how sorry he was.

“Playing against New Zealand is always a good event, they are good lads. I will be apologising to Kane (Williamson) for the rest of my life… It was written in the stars to happen for us,” he said.