Australian bookmaker Sportsbet has decided to refund punters who backed New Zealand to win the ICC Cricket World Cup Sunday.
Sportsbet is insisting the ICC unfairly awarded the Cup to England after a rare draw in the dramatic final. Calling the decision an “absolute disgrace”, according to AAP, they have refunded a total of $426,223 to 11,458 punters.
However, TAB, which operates sportsbooks, both in New Zealand and Australia, will not be following suit. In the absence of any immediate announcements, nor will any of New Jersey’s 14 sportsbooks, it seems.
AAP reported spokesperson Rich Hummerston of Sportbet as saying that in the circumstances they could not take money from customers. In their management’s view, New Zealand had effectively not been beaten.
“Punters who backed New Zealand in both the head-to-head and the outright tournament market will be refunded their stakes in bonus bets.
ICC decision an “absolute disgrace”
“Let’s not beat around the bush, for a World Cup to be decided in that manner is an absolute disgrace. Punters shouldn’t have to pay for the ineptness of the ICC,” Hummerston said.
Not everyone will agree with Sportsbet – even in New Zealand.
Spokesperson Kate Gourdie said TAB realized New Zealand punters would be disappointed, but they were “honoring the official result”.
Gourdie could not disclose how much had been bet on New Zealand, but TAB takings had been exceptional. The $2 million in total wagers taken for the tournament was their fifth highest ever for any single event.
To better understand Sportsbet’s complaint about the ICC’s decision, let’s go back to the final moments at Lords on Sunday.
Freak overthrow four saved England
The first act of this unique and hugely dramatic final ended with England matching New Zealand’s 50-over total of 241 runs. But this was only thanks to a freak six by all-rounder Ben Stokes in the third last ball of England over.
As he dived with an outstretched bat to make two runs, the throw from Kiwi Martin Guptill struck his bat.
The upshot of that throw? It sent the ball to the boundary for four more overthrow runs to help England snatch the World Cup’s first ever tied final.
This sent the game into a second heart-stopping act; a one, six-ball Super Over play-off. Incredibly this also ended in a tie of 15 runs each – amazingly with another heart-stopping dive.
This time Guptill was the Kiwi batsman lunging at the wicket for the winning run. But this time there was no six runs; there was not even one. Jason Roy’s deft throw saw Jos Buttler whip off the bails with Guptill just center meters short.
England erupted – on and off the field. They knew that they had won their first Cricket World Cup.
They knew the final act in the pulsating final had come down to a tie-breaker; They knew that sportsbook favorites England had won on boundaries hit – 26 to the Black Caps 17.
What was not clear is whether the ball was thrown before Batsman Stokes and his partner crossed for two runs. If not, the umpire should have awarded England five runs, not six. And five would not have been enough to tie the game.