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Arjuna Ranatunga the Sri Lankan skipper who was found guilty of breaching the IC Code of Conduct and was slapped a six one-day match suspended for 12 months and fined 75 per cent of his match fee issued the following statement:

``During the One Day International Cricket match played between Sri Lanka and England at the Adelaide Oval on January 23, 1999, I took certain actions following the decision of umpire Emerson to no ball Sri Lankan off spinner Muttiah Muralitharan under Law 24.2 of The laws of Cricket. Like umpire Emerson's decision, my actions have been the subject of an intense public debate which, unfortunately, has taken the focus off the outstanding cricket that is being played by the Australian, English and Sri Lankan teams.

In the interests of cricket, I have agreed to give this statement to the ICC Code of Conduct Inquiry and have agreed to its release to the public to explain my conduct and reiterate the important responsibilities I have to cricket as captain of Sri Lanka. As captain of the Sri Lankan team, I acknowledge and understand my responsibility to uphold the spirit as well as the laws of the game.

Cricket is an emotional game which is of immense importance to the peoples of many different nations. It is a game that tests the character of those who play it, particularly at international level where the happiness of millions can be affected by the outcome of a particular match or the bating or bowling performance of an individual player. The spirit of cricket invokes not only the wonderful characteristic of sportsmanship, but also the virtues of teamwork and loyalty to one's teammates and superiors. Some times these qualities can find themselves in competition.

My actions following the no balling of Sri Lanka's great bowler Murali during the match were motivated by my responsibility to demonstrate support for Murali in this difficult situation. I believe Murali is a player who possesses talent which should be the source of celebration for cricket lovers the world over. I was not motivated to cause embarrassment to anyone. However, I recognise that my actions during the game did cause embarrassment to the opposition team, to members of the public and to officials.

My actions in approaching the boundary line were simply consistent with the instructions I had received from the BCCSL to consult with them should Murali be no balled.

The implications of the decision of umpire Emerson were potentially far reaching and beyond my authority as captain of the Sri Lankan team, where my responsibilities are limited to the team's on field performance. As captain, however, I wish to publicly state that I do acknowledge that my responsibilities extend to upholding the spirit of the beautiful game I play, as well as its laws.

It is my absolute commitment that I will be seen as upholding those principles for so long as I have the privilege to play the game of cricket at any level.''