Are we right to celebrate
WHY, whenever something good happens in this country, do we have doubters and detractors? There are suggestions that England should not have won the Cricket World Cup final because we were given one run too many from the deflection. The scoreboard showed that after the Super Overs, the scores were tied and England won on boundaries. Whether or not it was the correct result, it has to stand. Look at Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ in the 1986 football World Cup, Frank Lampard’s disallowed goal in the 2010 World Cup and the most famous questionable goal of all, England’s third in the 1966 World Cup. Rightly or wrongly, these things will happen where human judgment is involved. Even with cricket’s excellent ball tracking, people still question if the computer is correct. Some teams win and some lose — that’s life! DAVID BARNES, Tonbridge, Kent.
THE Cricket World Cup final made great viewing and England’s victory is worth celebrating, but we must not
get carried away. There are only a small number of cricket-playing nations capable of winning. As a major cricketing power, England did not have to go through a rigorous qualification process and had home advantage. The New Zealand team were proof of the fine line that can lie between victory and defeat. The talk of England allrounder Ben Stokes receiving a knighthood is nonsense. However, it would be acceptable if each of the players receives an MBE. Anything more than that would provide further proof of how flawed the honours system has become. Why be knighted at such a young age for being paid well to play cricket? Charity champions would then deserve much higher than that. DAVID PATRICK MOORE, Beckenham, Gtr London. I LIKE cricket more than most people, but let’s keep a sense of proportion. In terms of a global sporting contest, I would suggest that, taking the format and number of participating countries into account, the Cricket World Cup should be ranked behind a Commonwealth Games gold medal for five-a-side football. However, the final with the Super Overs was certainly exciting and at least we now know who will win the best team accolade in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards. RICHARD WITTERING,
Milton Keynes, Bucks.