Why two England stars dodged their World Cup celebrations

Fans enjoying the aftermath of England’s historic Cricket World Cup victory have noticed something was amiss during the team’s celebrations.

While the English side was on the podium celebrating their victory and spraying champagne all over the place, bowlers Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid were nowhere to be found.

The pair, both of the Muslim faith, had made a hasty exit from the stage once the bubbly was flowing, as their faith prohibits them form consuming alcohol.

There were mixed reactions to the unique moment, with some praising Ali and Rashid for allowing the celebrations to continue, while others were unhappy that the the pair were excluded from the fun.

Former English captain Alastair Cook famously had his team celebrate without champagne to ensure Ali could join in the festivities - first after England’s Ashes win in 2015, and again when Ali was named player of the series in a victory over South Africa.

Kiwi's classy act after heartbreaking World Cup moment

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has been hailed by fans for his classy reaction to a shattering World Cup final defeat.

Ben Stokes' bat helped England claim a maiden World Cup trophy after one of the most dramatic finishes in the tournament’s history.

Stokes benefited from a huge slice of fortune that almost certainly denied the Kiwis victory.

In a match of high drama, the game swung viciously in the final over with England needing nine from three balls when Stokes hit Trent Boult to the deep.

The return throw from Martin Guptill hit Stokes' bat as he dived to make his ground for the second run, with the ball rebounding to the rope for an additional four overthrow runs.

A gentleman's rule has traditionally dictated that once a throw rebounds off a batsman or bat that no further runs are taken.

However there is no official rule to protect this, and the umpires had no choice but to award the extra four runs to Stokes and reduce the margin to three from two.

It pushed England towards the eventual tie at the end of the game and super over, before they won on a boundary count back.

The outcome couldn’t have been crueller for the Kiwis, but the team handled the disappointment with incredible distinction.

New Zealand captain Williamson said regardless of the game's traditions, it wasn't a time to push for a change in the rules to prohibit runs from being awarded after a batsman is hit.

"The rule has been there for a long time," Williamson said.

"I don't think anything like that's happened (before) where you now question it.

"There were so many other bits and pieces to that game that were so important."

Sentiment for Williamson was running high on social media, where fans praised the Kiwi captain's class in defeat.