Calcutta: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has dismissed Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) officials’ claim that Adam Gilchrist’s use of a squash ball in his batting gloves during the World Cup final was unethical.

“The incident could not be classed either as contravening the Law or as breaching the spirit of the game,” ICC spokesman Brian Murgatroyd said in an e-mail to The Telegraph.

An agency report from Colombo said SLC secretary Kangadaran Mathivanan would take up the matter during ICC’s annual general meeting next month. “We are of the opinion that it was unethical for Gilchrist to use a squash ball ... it gave him unfair advantage,” Mathivanan said.

The ICC says: “The Law specifies only what external protective equipment is permitted for particular players. The only item for which any specification is given is wicketkeeper’s gloves.

“Helmets, external leg guards (batting pads), batting gloves and forearm gloves (if visible) are all listed as permitted for batsmen. None has any definition or prescription. Since there is no restriction in Law even on the external form of batting gloves, let alone the interior thereof, no Law has been breached.

“The umpires are responsible under Law 3.6 (c) for seeing that no player uses equipment other than that permitted. Currently permitted equipment is limited to external items. Consequently there is no failure by either the umpires or others in charge of the players if they do not extend their observation to non-external items.

“Most players, including batsmen, wear other items for protection, but they are not visible and so not classed as external. Wicketkeepers traditionally wear ‘inners’ inside their gloves. No objection is raised to their doing so.

“Why should this be considered unfair? How could it be any less fair than the widespread practice of having two grips on the bat handle — to which no objection, official or unofficial, has ever been raised?”