CHRISTCHURCH, Dec 11: The New Zealand cricket team rallied behind wicket-keeper Brendon McCullum on Monday, defending him from ongoing criticism over the dismissal of Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan in the first Test.

McCullum has been pilloried in the media Test for running out Muralitharan when the careless tailender left his crease while the ball was in play to congratulate Kumar Sangakkara on scoring a century.

The dismissal sparked an ethical debate, with the Sri Lankans and several commentators saying it breached the spirit of the game.

The authoritative Cricinfo website called it “unsporting”.

McCullum said he was shocked by the widespread adverse reaction to what was a legitimate dismissal that ended Sri Lanka's second innings and left New Zealand a 119-run target to win which they achieved for the loss of five wickets.—AFP