Umpire's controversial overthrow decision to award an extra run to England had affected eventual outcome of the contest in final game of the mega cricket event, triggering a fierce debate on cricket body's rule.
Reacting to the controversy that halted the Black Caps to clinch their maiden World Cup trophy, skipper Kane Williamson said, "I wasn't actually aware of the finer rule".
"I actually wasn't aware of the finer rule at that point in time, obviously you trust in the umpires and what they do. I guess you throw that in the mix of a few hundred other things that may have been different," Williamson was quoted as saying.
Even the head coach Gary Stead and batting coach Craig MacMillan were also clueless about the exact rules, and trusted the umpires to do their job.
Stead, like Williamson, instead of blaming the two umpires played down the issue saying, "The umpires are there to rule and they're human as well, like players, sometimes errors are made".
"That's just the human nature of sport, and why we care so much about it as well," he added.
According to the experts, umpire should have awarded five runs instead of six when Ben Stokes accidentally diverted Martin Guptill’s throw to the third man boundary as he attempted to scamper back for a second run in the last of England’s initial 50 overs.
Despite the fact that it was not runs but boundaries which decided the match, most of the cricket lovers have strongly criticised the on-field umpires for their judgement on the issue. The ruling has infuriated most of the people but not to the New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson as he didn't blame only them for his team's loss.
International media, citing ICC spokesperson, reported that it was against the policy to "comment on any decisions (made by the umpires)".
The spokesperson was reportedly added that on-field umpires take decisions based on their interpretation of the rules laid in the ICC rule book.