Offering to play three overs was a goodwill gesture from us: Mahel

Sri Lanka skipper Mahela Jayawardene today said he had offered to play out the last three overs of the match as a ''goodwill gesture'' because it was clear Australia had won the World Cup by then.

''We needed 70 odd runs in those three overs. Australia had won we had lost. But I did not want to come back next day,'' the Lankan captain added.

''As a goodwill gesture I told Ricky that my batsmen would play out the three overs if spin were introduced. Ricky agreed to that,'' he said.

''I was given an impression that we had to come back next day for the last three overs. I wanted to avoid that and I do not think it would have been good idea,'' Jayawardene said.

''But I did not want to risk my bowlers before Shaun Tait and Glenn McGrath in the darkness so our batsmen accepted the light offered. But then I was told that we would have to come back to play out the remaining three overs next day.

''I came to Ricky and offered the play out through spin, which he accepted,'' Mahela defended his decision.

Both Vaas and Malinga had disappeared into pavilion after they accepted the light offered by the umpires. The Australians started celebrating but the umpires intervened to tell them they would have to return the next day.

Thankfully, Mahela came to the rescue and offered Australian captain Ricky Ponting to play the last three overs if spin was introduced, to which Ponting agreed and the match restarted to the amazement of everyone in the stadium.

But his explanation would do little to cover up the goof up from the match-controlling unit. Five persons, including two field umpires, third umpire, reserve umpire and Match Referee, messed up big time.

''Next day's play was wrong. But I admit that there was confusion and it should not have been like that. It was a human error and I am embarrassed,'' said Match Referee Jeff Crowe.

''As a Match Referee I take the responsibility and once the light was accepted by the batsmen, that should have been the end of the match,'' said Crowe trying feebly to the clear the scenario.

UNI MT SAM RK1532

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