Arguments over spirit-of-cricket debate heat up

London: Four former England captains have criticized the time-wasting tactics used by the hosts after they drew the first Ashes test against Australia.

England drew the match in Wales on Sunday after last batting pair James Anderson and Monty Panesar held out for 69 balls. But Australia captain Ricky Ponting was upset by England's 12th man twice running on to the pitch in the final overs, the second time accompanied by the team physiotherapist, describing the tactics as "ordinary" and suggesting the umpires should have intervened.

England coach Andy Flower denied his team did anything wrong.

"In that last hour of the game, there was no time wasting by us. Have a look at the footage yourself. Never did we consciously try to waste time," Flower said Tuesday. "There was perceived confusion out in the middle about what time the game was going to end."

"We needed to get messages out to them to make sure they were clear. We have not got walkie-talkies to those guys out there and the only way to communicate is to send people out."

But Ponting received support from former England leaders Nasser Hussain, Bob Willis, Ray Illingworth and John Emburey.

"When the 12th man and physio came on at the same time, they went too far," Hussain said in his column for The Daily Mail newspaper. "It wasn't a street-wise move at all it was village-green stuff. It was amateur and embarrassing to watch. And it was bad for the game more like diving to win a penalty than delaying a throw-in."

"It didn't spoil a classic Test match but it did lead to a slightly farcical finish, which was a shame. If I were Ponting, I would have been angry, too, and would have told the physio to get off."

Emburey said the move could have backfired and broken the concentration of Anderson or Panesar, Willis said Ponting's reaction was proportionate and measured, while Illingworth was annoyed by what he claims were pathetic excuses for the interruptions.

"If the series finishes 0-0 or England win 1-0, it will come up again," Emburey said in The Guardian.

However, the Australian camp has since sought to downplay the issue to focus on the second test starting Thursday at Lord's. But also possibly to ensure it doesn't become a similar incident to rival the time Ponting, angry at being run out by a substitute fielder whose on-field presence he considered not in the spirit of the sport, gesticulated toward the England team during the 2005 series.