Swann: I wanted to kill cheating Sri Lanka batsman
Graeme Swann yesterday branded a Sri Lankan player a cheat – then railed against cricketers who do not play to the spirit of the game.
Swann was furious after Dilruwan Perera, who made his one-day debut against England in 2007, failed to walk when he edged James Anderson low to Andrew Strauss at slip in Saturday’s warm-up win.
Perera refused to accept the England skipper’s assurance the ball had carried and was given not out – sparking an on-field row.
Should there be a similarly disputed catch in one of the Test matches, Swann is relieved a decision review system will be in place to prevent a repeat of the ugly scenes.
He suggested the angry exchange could have escalated further had Strauss not stepped in to calm down his team.
“I’m just glad I live in an age where DRS is in place,” said Swann. “The batsman stood there knowing 100 per cent he was out.
“He chose to cheat in my view, he opened himself up to the level of abuse that was coming to him and I’m glad Straussy was there as somebody with a bit of nous to calm things down.
“Straussy was miffed his integrity was questioned and I wanted to kill the batsman because he was cheating. He was stood right next to me with a smug look on his face.
“It was just cheating in my view, but we live in an age where it’s accepted in Test cricket if you nick it and don’t walk. I don’t agree with that.
“I understand when people say, ‘I’ll leave it to the umpire’ but again I’d question their morality.
“The same people claim catches and say, ‘I caught that, you have to take my word for it’. It’s horrific double standards and against the spirit of the game. If you know you’re out, then you walk off.”
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