Flower warns England after Swann cheat rant
ENGLAND coach Andy Flower has warned his players to keep their temperaments in check and not rise to provocation on the current tour of Sri Lanka.
Flower spoke out after spinner Graeme Swann accused batsman Dilruwan Perera of cheating during the innings and 15-run victory over a Sri Lanka Board XI on Saturday.
“We should always respect the umpire’s decision and get on with the game thereafter,” the England coach said. “Respect the opposition, respect the officials and respect the country you’re playing. That’s your job.”
Perera riled England players by refusing to walk after being caught by Andrew Strauss, and was allowed to stay at the crease despite protests from the tourists.
Swann said he “wanted to kill” Perera “because he was cheating”, adding: “It was very difficult to take because it was so blatantly out. He stood right next to me with a smug look on his face. The umpire was unsighted but the batsman stood there knowing 100 per cent he was out and chose to cheat in my view.”
England were last night preparing to face a Sri Lanka Development XI in their second warm-up match, starting early this morning.