England director of cricket Ashley Giles has played down claims England benefited from a "clear mistake" as they clinched World Cup glory, insisting Ben Stokes would probably have won the game anyway.
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Giles laughed off the suggestion from former international umpire Simon Taufel that the winners should only have been awarded five runs, not six, after the ball ricocheted off Stokes' bat and crossed the boundary, as he dived to make his ground during a dramatic run chase.
"Well, you can look at so many moments during the day," Giles told Sky Sports. "If that had been the case, Stokesy got a full toss last ball, he'd probably have smashed it out of the park, rather than try to nurdle two,"
"If you look over there, we've got the trophy and I think you'll find it very difficult to get it out of their hands."
The hosts triumphed in the competition for the first time, after beating New Zealand following a 'super over' at Lord's on Monday (NZT).
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England matched the Kiwis' score of 241 from the final delivery and were handed the trophy over New Zealand on a boundary countback.
England scored six from the third-last ball, when a throw from Martin Guptill rebounded off the diving Stokes' bat to the boundary.
Since, it has emerged that, under Law 19.8, extra runs are only awarded if the batsmen have crossed when the ball is thrown, which was not the case on Sunday.
England should only have received five runs off the delivery, leaving them with four to win off two balls.
A former five-time ICC umpire of the year and member of the MCC laws sub-committee, Taufel said the on-field officials got it wrong.
"It's a clear mistake... it's an error of judgment," he told Fox Sports.
The ICC said it would not be drawn into the issue.
"The umpires take decisions on the field with their interpretation of the rules and we don't comment on any decisions, as a matter of policy," a spokesperson said.
PA.
