ICC apologises to Ireland, Scotland for Super-Over error

DUBAI: The ICC has said that match referee David Jukes and the on-field umpires Allan Haggo and WPM van Liemt erred on Sunday at the end of the dramatic tie between Ireland and Scotland in Deventer and confirmed that a Super-Over should have been played to determine a winner, in accordance with the ICC’s playing conditions for T20Is.

“The match officials misinterpreted the T20I playing conditions which prevented the Super Over taking place following a tied match,” an ICC spokesperson had said on Tuesday. “This was a genuine oversight for which the ICC offers its sincere apologies to both Scotland and Ireland. We have picked up the matter with the officials and will mitigate against this happening in the future.” Ireland’s Stuart Thompson scampered a two to long-on off the final ball of the match to level the scores in a chase of 186. It was the tenth tied T20I, but instead of contesting a Super Over to decide the winner, both teams shook hands and walked off the field.

Under the ICC playing conditions for T20Is adopted on September 28, 2017, Law 16.3.1 reads: “If the scores are equal, the result shall be a tie and no account shall be taken of the number of wickets that have fallen. In the event of a tied match the teams shall compete in a Super Over to determine the winner.”

However, representatives from both Ireland and Scotland said after the match that they had been informed by tournament officials at the start of the tri-series that there would be no Super Over in the event of a tie.

Had Scotland prevailed in a Super Over, it would have been just their second T20I victory over a Full Member. They had beaten Bangladesh by 34 runs in 2012, also in Netherlands.

An Ireland win, on the other hand, would have kept them in contention to claim the tri-series title on net run-rate but a tie now means they can finish no higher than second place after losing their first two matches to Netherlands.