Super Over not necessarily needed in ODI Cricket: Ross Taylor
In a chat with ESPNCricinfo, veteran New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor has opinionated that a in case of a tie, a super over is not necessary in the 50 Over format of Cricket. According to Taylor, if both teams share the same score after the completion of 100 Overs, then it is fair to declare both teams joint winners.
Taylor said, “I’m still undecided in a Super Over in a one-day game, I think one-day cricket is played over such a long time that I have no problems in a tie being a tie. In T20, to continually go on is the right way to go. A bit like football or some other games, trying to get that win in, but I don’t think the Super Over is necessarily needed in a one-day game. I think you can have a joint winner.”
Taylor then went on to narrate his own experience after the 2019 World Cup final ended in a tie, “During the World Cup I actually went up to the umpires to say ‘good game’, I didn’t even know there was a Super Over. A tie is a tie, I suppose you could have this argument either way, but in a one-day game I think if you can go 100 overs and still have someone equal at the end I don’t think a tie is a bad thing.”
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Taylor further added, “One over across 50 overs or 20 overs is tough to swallow, but if we are in that same situation we still back ourselves. First and foremost you have to try and win the game in the allocated time. We haven’t been able to be ruthless enough there, and if we can do that and not even let it get into a Super Over then hopefully the right results comes.”
The first time New Zealand tied with another team in T20Is was way back in 2006 at Auckland. They went on to win the game, courtesy of a bowl out, in which Shane Bond and Scott Styris hit the stumps while every other individual from either team missed the target. 2 years later, both teams tied with each other at the same venue, and Chris Gayle bludgeoned Daniel Vettori for 25 runs in the super over. New Zealand fell short by 10 runs.
Since then, across formats, New Zealand have ended up losing 6 out of 7 super overs. Their only super over win came against Australia at Christchurch in 2010, with Tim Southee conceding only 6 runs against Cameron White, David Warner and Brad Haddin, which was chased down by Guptill and McCullum with 3 balls to spare. Since then, they have lost every super over they’ve played in, including losing thrice in ICC events, 2 of which came in the T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka in 2012, once against the hosts and then the West Indies, and one against England in the 2019 50 Over World Cup final.