New Zealand will absolutely not have to suffer the torment of a Super Over or tiebreaker to determine winners of next month’s World Test Championship final against India.
But the decider at Southampton may go to extra time, if the English weather intervenes during the five-day encounter.
As if we really needed reminding, the Blackcaps ‘lost’ their previous world final staged in England, scoring the same number of runs as the host nation after 50 overs and one extra, before finally succumbing in a boundary countback in 2019.
The sting of that result still sits uneasily with Kiwi sports fans, who still refer to that final as one we didn’t lose.
With the test championship finale due to begin on June 12, the International Cricket Council has taken the somewhat unnecessary step of confirming that, should the match finished tied, New Zealand and India will share the honours.
While that may come as a relief to many, in reality, only two tests in the history of cricket have ever ended as ties.
In 1960, West Indies and Australia were unseparated at Brisbane's GABBA, while 26 years later, the Aussies and India staged a similar outcome at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Madras.
While the chances of the World Test Championship final ending in a tie would appear extremely slim, a draw is still very much on the cards in England's inclement climate.
To alleviate that risk, the ICC will schedule a reserve day, if rain or bad light cuts into the five regulation days.
"The reserve day has been scheduled to ensure five full days of play and it will only be used if lost playing time cannot be recovered through the normal provisions of making up lost time each day," it says.
"There will be no additional day's play, if a positive result is not achieved after five full days of play and the match will be declared a draw in such a scenario."
Join us for live updates of the World Test Championship final between the Blackcaps and India from June 12
