New Zealand fans go to work in mourning for World Cup defeat

An all-night vigil by New Zealand fans ended in bitter disappointment when they saw their team beaten by England after an unprecedented Super Over and a tie-breaking countback in the final of the Cricket World Cup.

Sunday's final began at 10 pm New Zealand time and ended, dramatically, about 6.30 am Monday when many dejected fans had to drag themselves away from their TVs and head wearily to work.

Some of those fans were still trying to work out how New Zealand lost.

New Zealand scored 241-8 and bowled out England for 241. In almost any one-day international tournament that would be a New Zealand win.

But under World Cup final rules, the tied match went to a Super Over in which the best batsmen of one team try to score the most runs against a nominated bowler from the other.

Both teams scored 15 runs in that over but England won on a countback of boundaries scored during the match.

It was the cruelest way for New Zealand's giant-killing run through the tournament to end.

When it came .