COLOMBO (Reuters)
Sri Lanka have backed the International Cricket Council's (ICC's) stance in the stand-off with South Africa and India following the Mike Denness controversy, but still want to hear India's viewpoint.

"We certainly see the ICC's point," Vijaya Malalasekara, chairman of the interim committee which runs the Sri Lanka cricket board, told Reuters. "You don't agree to independent judges and suddenly sack them because you don't like how they rule," he said.

Malalasekara said he had been in touch with ICC president Malcolm Gray but wanted to hear India's side of the story as well.

"But I would like to know India's position before we make a final call and we hope it can be solved amicably," he said.

Facing an Indian boycott, South Africa's United Cricket Board barred ICC-appointed match referee Denness from standing in the third and final Test after he imposed penalties on six Indian players, including a controversial one-match ban on top Indian batsmen Sachin Tendulkar for ball tampering.

The ICC has responded by stripping the Centurion match of Test status.

Sri Lanka is part of the Asian Cricket Council which is chaired by India's cricket chief Jagmohan Dalmiya. Indian officials and politicians have accused Denness of racism, a charge that could strike a chord with the subcontinent's traditional suspicion of London-based cricket administration.

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