It's not the way to play cricket, says Mahela

Run out of Muralitharan by McCallum

Elmo Rodrigopulle from New Zealand

Cricket: The Muttiah Muralitharan run-out incident in the First National Bank Test series at the Jade Stadium, here between Sri Lanka and New Zealand has split the cricket family in New Zealand.

The majority of mediamen, Radio and TV people have launched scathing attacks on the poor sportsmanship by wicket keeper Brendon McCallum and the refusal of skipper Stephen Fleming to call back the batsman.

In the clubs, pubs and houses the topic is the controversial run-out of Muralitharan and the consensus is the poor sportsmanship by the Kiwi cricketers. In a poll on the stuff website 41 per cent of the readers thought McCallum had shown poor sportsmanship while 59 per cent agreed with the run-out.

The PRESS Newspaper here, has opened up a website and are requesting readers to give their opinion on the incident.

The Sri Lankan community is roundly condemning the incident, saying the incident was in bad taste and that the game could have been played and won in keeping with the spirit of the game, and not reverting to poor sportsmanship.

As for the culprit McCallum, this is not the first time that he has indulged in such incidents. Last season he ran out Zimbabwean tailender Chris Mpofu. Mpofu had left the crease to congratulate his team-mate Blessing Mawhire scoring a half ton, when McCallum ran him out.

Then in a final match of a one-day series against South Africa last season, when he stumped Ashwell Prince after he took the ball and rather belatedly removed the bails when Prince felt the ball was dead and left his crease. Here's what New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming, Sri Lanka skipper Mahela Jayawardena and wicket keeper Brendon McCallum the man in the centre of the controversy has to say on the incident.

'I'm comfortable with it the game doesn't stop because someone gets a hundred. It's a mistake in judgement from Muralitharan. In one sense it's disappointing because it takes the gloss off one of the great hundreds I've seen. It would have been a tragedy if he'd been run our on 99 - Stephen Fleming.

'The whole team is disappointed. Legally it was run out, the ball was alive but we play in an age where we talk about the spirit of the game. Hopefully it won't happen again. It's not the way to play cricket - Mahela Jayawardena.

'After (Muralitharan's) 109 test matches you know better than to walk out of your ground to celebrate a guy's hundred when the ball's still alive. I realise they're pretty upset about it, but as far as I'm concerned it was an opportunity to take a wicket. I'd do the same thing again - Brendon McCallum.

However after all's said and done the fact remains that the good relations that existed between Sri Lanka and New Zealand has been strained.

Christchurch, Monday