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Proteas coach claims replay exonerates him from wrongdoing

19/07/2008

South Africa coach Mickey Arthur says the replay of Michael Vaughan's attempted catch of Hashim Amla during the second Test exonerates him of any wrongdoing.

Vaughan thought he had caught Amla at mid-off and the batsman accepted the catch and began to walk towards the pavilion.

But after seeing a television replay Arthur exited the dressing room to tell Amla to return to his crease and question the decision.

Some experts believe that Arthur had no right to interfere with the game in that way, once the batsman and umpires had made their original decision.

The replays showed the ball had bounced before it reached Vaughan and Amla was given not out.

TV referrals will be trialled in the Test series between Sri Lanka and India next week and are not in use in the series between England and South Africa.

But Arthur argues he was still right to do what he did.

He said: "It is my business. Hashim Amla is probably the most polite guy in the world, a very disciplined boy. He wouldn't have questioned anything.

"I felt I was well within my rights to go out there and tell him to stand so we could get the correct decision - and I believe the correct decision was made."

The controversy was added to by the fact that Andrew Strauss had been a victim of a similar incident during England's innings but was still given out.

Arthur says Vaughan admonished AB de Villiers for claiming the catch at lunch but claimed de Villiers had made an honest mistake.