The head of the International Cricket Council says the officials whose error led to the shambolic finish in the World Cup final still have a future in cricket.
Chief Executive Malcolm Speed says the five-man playing control team led by match referee Jeff Crowe regretted their roles in the bizarre spectacle that left losers Sri Lanka having to bat out the closing overs in darkness.
The group managed to overlook the rule that once 20 overs have been bowled in both innings, enough cricket has been played to have a result under the Duckworth/Lewis system for rain-affected games.
Instead the teams came back on to bowl three more overs in a match Australia then won by 53 runs.
Speed has indicated the umpires, including New Zealand's Billy Bowden, won't face immediate censure.
He says they had earned the right to umpire in the final because of their calibre.
Speed says there will be a comprehensive review of all the match officials involved.
