Technical knockout: Kiwis praise team but query 'cruel' rules

Heartbroken New Zealanders expressed pride Monday in the Black Caps' fighting spirit after defeat to England in the Cricket World Cup final, but also bemusement at the obscure rules that cost them the match.

The Black Caps lost even though scores were tied at the end of both regular play and a Super Over shootout, with England's superior boundary count giving them victory.

As Kiwi fans absorbed a second straight loss in the tournament decider, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was concentrating on the positives.

"That was undeniably an incredible game. I think as a nation we all aged a year in that Super Over," she posted on social media.

"Congratulations to England. And to the Black Caps, I feel nothing but pride. What a team."
"It's a shame there has to be a loser," he told the New Zealand Herald. "They could have shared the trophy but that doesn't seem to be how things are done these days."
- 'Did we lose?' -
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"But the tournament had to have a winner, somehow. And in the end, what was perhaps the most dramatic ODI ever played, was decided by a curious, contentious fine-print rule."
"It should have been who took the most wickets (which would have given New Zealand victory)."