March 20, 2003	Thursday	Muharram 16, 1424

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JOHANNESBURG, March 19: It could have been the moment that lost Australia the World Cup.

Instead, Adam Gilchrist can look back upon the moment when he ‘walked’ as proof that, for one day at least, the good guy won.

His moment of truth came in Tuesday’s semifinal victory against Sri Lanka at Port Elizabeth when the Australian opener had made 22 and swept Aravinda de Silva.

The ball came off bat and pad and Kumar Sangakkara jogged off to take the catch, but umpire Rudi Koertzen was unmoved by the furious appeals.

Gilchrist, however, made the decision for the official by tucking his bat under his arm and walking off the St George’s Park pitch.

“The whole dressing room was surprised,” said skipper Ricky Ponting after Australia won the rain-hit match by 48 runs to storm into Sunday’s final.

“I think Gilly didn’t see Rudi’s not out. He knew he got some bat on it and set off. I won’t be encouraging any of our batsmen to do it. It’s up to each player to decide what to do.”

Howvever, Sri Lankan batsman Aravinda de Silva, who announced his retirement from international cricket after the match, hailed Gilchrist as a “gentleman”.

“It was a good gesture on his part,” de Silva said and bracketed Gilchrist with West Indian Brian Lara.

“It is very rare to see batsmen walking off. There are still some gentlemen in the game.”

Lara also walked in the World Cup, in the group game against Sri Lanka in Cape Town, when he was caught by Sangakkara off Chaminda Vaas for just one.

It was a crucial moment in both sides’ World Cup fortunes as the Windies lost by just six runs.

The Aussies, known for their uncompromising approach to the game, applauded a rare moment of sportsmanship in the last Ashes series when England’s Mark Butcher claimed he couldn’t be certain that a catch off Steve Waugh was clean or not in the fourth Test in Mebourne.

The Australian skipper, who had made 56 at the time, edged Andrew Caddick who appealed for the dismissal.

But Butcher said he wasn’t certain as he took the ball near the ground. He shook the hand of Waugh who batted on to make 77 as the Aussies eventually went on to win by five wickets.

“It showed good sportsmanship and how the game should be played,” said Australian batsman Justin Langer.

England found themselves the beneficiaries of a gesture of Test match sportsmanship in Mumbai in 1980 when Bob Taylor made his way to the pavilion thinking he was out, caught behind.

However, he was called back by Indian captain Gundappa Viswanath and Taylor seized his chance by building a match-winning partnership with Ian Botham.

It’s not just in cricket where unexpected generosity has been applauded.

At the Australian Open in 2001, Swedish tennis player Magnus Norman handed victory to French player Sebastien Grosjean by ignoring a “let” on match point in their fourth round match.

The gesture by Norman gave Grosjean a place in the quarterfinals.

“My mother always told me when I was growing up that I should play hard but also fairly,” said the Swede.

“If I had taken the let and the match turned around, I wouldn’t have felt good about myself.”

Meanwhile, Australian Sports Commission (ASC) applauded Gilchrist’s gesture to walk.

“Such behaviour is vital for the very integrity of sport and our sporting system,” ASC chief executive Mark Peters said in a statement.

The Government-funded ASC administers grants to peak sporting bodies in Australia.

Australia’s success in sports such as rugby union, rugby league, cricket and tennis has come at a price with some critics saying the ruthless approach of some of the country’s top sportsmen has lacked a sense of fair play.

“I’m sure many of us have witnessed examples of poor behaviour on and off the sporting field, by players and spectators,” Peters said.

“The personal values and social and behavioural skills once ...learned through participation in sport have become less common.”

Gilchrist’s act, and a similar gesture from de Silva against Zimbabwe on Saturday, might indicate that some players at least are starting to rediscover a conscience.

“I’ve stood there before and not walked, but maybe that’s just where I think my career should head,” Gilchrist told Sydney radio on Wednesday.

“Hopefully maybe it can have an impact on cricket.”

The Age called Gilchrist’s act “a display of honesty rarely seen on international cricket fields”.

“This was a refreshing gesture from a quality player after the game reached new lows in Australia over recent summers, with batsmen who have clearly been caught hanging around for mostly inconclusive replays viewed by the third umpire,” The Australian said.—AFP/Reuters