Yesterday saw one of the great displays of one-day cricket, a sublime century from Graeme Hick being overtaken by an equally worthy contribution from the young Mahela Jayawardene as Sri Lanka successfully chased the biggest winning target in Australia's 50-over international history.
Those simple facts, however, will never be remembered. For this was the day that Muralit haran was called for throwing again at a time when he thought he had put all that trauma behind him and the behaviour of both sides then degenerated to unacceptable levels with the two captains being particularly culpable.
Ross Emerson, a former police officer from Perth who now gives his occupation as an investigator, has little claim to cricketing fame. Yesterday, however, he made a renewed bid for umpiring infamy when he called Muralitharan, as many expected he would, in the 18th over of England's innings.
Emerson, one of three umpires to publicly label Muralitharan a chucker during Sri Lanka's visit to Australia three years ago, sparked off amazing scenes at the Adelaide Oval when he adjudged from square leg that the off-spinner's 10th ball, stroked for a single by Nick Knight through mid-off, from the Cathedral End was illegal. Emerson immediately signalled to Sri Lanka's captain Arjuna Ranatunga that it was the first ball he was unhappy with. He then left the players in no doubt about his position by pointing to his elbow.
The will-he-won't-he debate over Emerson's policy has raged all week in Australia and those who were certain that he would make a stand yesterday pointed to the presence at the other end of Tony McQuillan, Emerson's umpiring partner at the Gabba in 1996 when Muralitharan was no-balled seven times.
Other umpires have made private representations to Peter van der Merwe, the International Cricket Council match referee, about the off-spinner's action during this one-day series but no one, before yesterday, was brave or foolish enough to heap further humiliation on a bowler who has taken more than 200 Test wickets and has never been called for throwing outside Australia. Emerson, who started the day privately telling friends that he could not win whatever he did, chose to be different.
There was more to come. Ranatunga eventually led his team back into action after a 14-minute delay and Muralitharan completed his over with leg-breaks before switching to the City End. His captain emphasised that he has few peers as a cricketing politician by indulging in a game of cat and mouse with Emerson from which there was going to be only one winner, Ranatunga.
Muralitharan bowled round the wicket while Ranatunga insisted that the umpire stood close to the stumps so that he could not see the point of delivery, remembering that Emerson made his judgment on Muralitharan three years ago from the bowler's end. McQuillan, meanwhile, decided not to exercise his right arm from square leg.
Each time Emerson began to edge back - the laws state he must decide where he should stand - Ranatunga intervened, busily scratching out a line where he wanted the umpire to stand. ``I'm in charge,'' the stump microphone picked up Emerson saying. ``I'm in charge of my team,'' replied Ranatunga. ``You just smile for the match referee and get on with it,'' appeared to be Emerson's sign-off.
These antics, according to Alec Stewart, led to the tense scenes late on but they did nothing to ease the misery of Muralitharan. He was cleared two years ago by an ICC advisory panel after a long campaign which included, bizarrely, claims by two doctors, both of Sri Lankan backgrounds, that a deformity of his right arm prevents him straightening it at the point of delivery, thus making it impossible to throw. Surely, though, that would not stop him throwing - as witnessed yesterday by his direct hit to run out Knight, a move which led to the Oval's announcer, apparently without irony, booming out: ``What a great, accurate throw that was by Muttiah Muralitharan.''
What a pity then that so much good cricket should be overshadowed. Hick can rarely have batted so well for England in scoring his second hundred in a week. He hit four sixes, three of them off Muralitharan, in his unbeaten 126 from 118 balls, mostly in partnership with Neil Fairbrother, the pair hitting 102 off the last 10 overs in their stand of 154 from 129 balls. A huge 302 for three seemed more than enough but despite losing wickets at regular intervals and becoming embroiled in more and more incidents, Sri Lanka somehow reached their second win of the series. Jayawardene scored 120 despite apparently being run out on 33 when Emerson refused to call for a camera verdict.
Hick, though, could easily have been given out by McQuillan caught behind on 11 and Sri Lanka's sheer tenacity, summed up by Muralitharan chipping the winning run just beyond Adam Hollioake's reach at cover, saw them to a victory which keeps them in the competition.
England still have work to do if they are to qualify for the finals, starting when they take on Australia here on Tuesday.
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Hick shines on through the darkest hour
By Mark Nicholas in Adelaide
ONE of the most amazing cricket matches that anyone at the Adelaide Oval on Saturday could remember finished with Sri Lanka succeeding in the pursuit of England's mammoth 302 by just one wicket and with only two balls to spare.
These, though, are just the bare bones of an unforgettable game during which the thrilling batting by both teams was sadly overshadowed by unpleasantness and controversy. Before play rumour suggested that one of the umpires, Ross Emerson and Tony McQuillan, both of whom had called Muttiah Muralitharan for throwing three years ago, might do so again. Pretty much on cue, Emerson did just that and in response an infuriated Arjuna Ranatunga led his team from the field.
Within a quarter of an hour the Sri Lankan team, under instruction from their cricket board, agreed to continue but with their minds elsewhere Graeme Hick took full advantage by smashing huge sixes over midwicket and out of the park. Hick played a magnificent innings, up there with any of his best, and the way in which his straight bat dominated the bowling reminded one of the young Hick who promised so much. Neil Fairbrother was equally irresistible and the 56 that this pair scored from the last three overs really ought to have been enough to win the match.
Sri Lanka began their run chase disastrously, losing two quick wickets to aggressive bowling and eager fielding. One man, however, an instinctive match-winning cricketer and a close friend of Muralitharan, ignored the false start and set off on his own mission of retribution.
There is no stopping a rampant Sanath Jayasuriya, who reserved special disdain for Darren Gough by successively thrashing him for four before clipping him twice over square leg for six. Gough found revenge with a clever change of direction and length which forced Jayasuriya onto the back foot and into the error which ended his exhilarating effort.
Sri Lanka had been given a chance and Mahela Jawardena and Ranatunga did not waste it. Stewart thought he had run out Jawardena on 39, but umpire Emerson did not even bother to refer the appeal to the third umpire. Replays confirmed that the batsman was out of his ground but he survived through the incompetence of a confused man who looked haunted from the moment he called Muralitharan. Because of it, England suffered.
From here on in, as the run chase became more tense, the game got nasty. Stewart was picked up by television's stump microphone telling Ranatunga exactly what he thought of his behaviour during the day. Adam Hollioake became involved with Ranatunga, too, under the umpire's nose.
Roshan Mahanama disgracefully barged into Darren Gough as the bowler tried to prevent a single. Stewart then bumped into Mahanama, which looked too much like retaliation.
None of this was much good for cricket and the exciting match, which moved the crowd to the edge of their seats, was later referred to by Stewart as ``the least enjoyable game I've ever played in''.
Losing it will have influenced his opinion and the distress on the faces of the England players was easy to see. They were miffed early in the run chase when one of Jayasuriya's sixes was shown by the cameras to be a four, but neither umpire would refer the complaint to the third official. These two runs took on an even higher profile when the last two overs began with 13 runs needed for a memorable Sri Lankan victory and two wickets for England to take.
Hollioake began with a yorker but then conceded consecutive boundaries to fine leg before Mahanama ran himself out off the fifth ball. The last over began with Sri Lanka nine wickets down and five to win, which is anybody's game. But it was not to be England's and the final ignominy came when an overthrow brought Muralitharan back on strike to slice the winning run inches over the head of Hollioake at cover point.
England are clear of any action taken by the match referee who expressed only concern over the atmosphere, but now, in the face of worldwide television exposure it is surely essential to appoint the very best umpires for all international cricket.