Accordingly Kumar Dharmasena, who along with Marais Erasmus was the on-field umpire in the 2019 World Cup final, admitted on Sunday that he made a mistake by awarding an extra run to england after the ball ricocheted off Ben Stokes' bat and ran to the boundary. Dharmasena told a weekly magazine that "It's easy for people to comment after seeing TV replays". He quoted as saying "I agree that there was a judgmental error when I see it on TV replays now. But we did not have the luxury of TV replays at the ground and I will never regret the decision I made. Besides, the ICC praised me for the decision I made at that time".
Reportedly former umpire Simon Taufel was one of the first to point out the error. Tauffel was quoted as saying by the Australian media "The act of the overthrow starts when the fielder releases the ball. It becomes an overthrow from the instant of the throw". Perhaps Dharmasena clarified that he could not have referred the matter to the third umpire as there was no dismissal involved. He said "So, I did consult the leg umpire through the communication system which is heard by all the other umpires and the match referee. And, while they couldn't check TV replays, they all confirmed that the batsmen have completed the run. This is when I made my decision".
Moreover the decision significantly worked in england's advantage because apart from the extra run, Stokes was on strike for the last three balls instead of Rashid. Apparently it was later reported that the Marylebone cricket Club (MCC), custodians of the Laws of cricket, was considering to review the overthrow rules in light of the incidents that occurred during the World Cup final.
