New Zealand coach Gary Stead urges rule change following Cricket World Cup final defeat

England win at Lord's on a technicality has left a 'very hollow feeling'

Cricket - ICC Cricket World Cup Final - New Zealand Press Conference - Lord's, London, Britain - July 12, 2019 New Zealand head coach Gary Stead during a press conference Action Images via Reuters/AndShow more

New Zealand coach Gary Stead has called on authorities to introduce new rules following the Black Caps' gut-wrenching Cricket World Cup final defeat to England on a technicality.

After the allotted 100 overs plus the Super Over, the two teams could not be separated, with England matching New Zealand's innings of 242 before the Black Caps tied England's score of 15 in the Super Over at Lord's on Sunday.

England were handed victory because they had a superior boundary count.

"It's a very, very hollow feeling that you can play 100 overs and score the same amount of runs and still lose the game, but that's the technicalities of sport," Stead told reporters in Wellington on Tuesday.

He said such a thrilling match, which has been hailed by many experts as the greatest one-day game in history, deserved a better way to determine the result.

"There's going to be many things they look at over the whole tournament - I'm sure when they were writing the rules they never expected a World Cup final to happen like that," he said.

"I'm sure it'll be reviewed. There's many different ways that they'll probably explore."

Stead said he was unaware of another technical infringement made by a former umpire that aided England in their run chase and in all likelihood cost New Zealand the trophy.

Simon Taufel claimed England had been mistakenly handed an extra run after a throw from a fielder hit the bat of a diving Ben Stokes' and deflected to the boundary in the final over of regular play.

England were awarded six runs but Taufel said they should only have got five as the batsmen had not crossed for their second run when the throw was made.

"I didn't actually know that," Stead said. "But at the end of the day the umpires are there to rule.

"They're human as well, like players, and sometimes there's a mistake but that's just the human aspect of sport."

Captain Kane Williamson, who has been widely applauded for his team's conduct and graciousness in defeat, said that New Zealand can console themselves that they were beaten by the rules that govern the game rather than by a superior team.

"At the end of the day nothing separated us, no one lost the final, but there was a crowned winner and there it is," he told Newstalk ZB.

There have been calls in New Zealand to give the team a ticker-tape parade, regardless of the result.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said that was unlikely but she wanted to ensure that the players received "a heroes' welcome" when they returned to the country.

New Zealand Cricket said they were in discussions with the government about when that would take place.

"At the moment, however, with some players arriving back at different times, some not arriving back at all, and others having alternative playing commitments, it's just not practical," they said.

"Hopefully, given the interest surrounding this, we can organise something appropriate in the weeks to come."