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MELBOURNE, Australia, Sunday - Arjuna Ranatunga, Sri Lanka's 'captain cool', is the most marked man here in Australia after his clash with umpire Ross Emerson when the umpire called world's number one off spinner Muthiah Muralitharan and his subsequent snook at his detractors when he came out of an ICC Code of Conduct hearing with a suspended sentence and a match fee fine.

On arrival in Sri Lanka he blasted the Aussie spectators for their ugly behaviour and said that spectators in the sub-continent behave better.

All newspapers here were very critical of the Lankan cricketers and extremely harsh has been the 'Herald Sun'. Their writers especially were beaten and bowled when their campaign to get Ranatunga suspended or banned from the game was thrown out by Ranatunga's legal eagles.

It was a trial by the media that Ranatunga was facing. That he came out of that with flying colours and with his head held high, is credit to him and the Cricket Board which stood by him in his time of need.

The Australian media here do not want to accept that he is a man ahead of our times. They are annoyed with him because he has the rare knack of getting under their skin.

Even after his departure he is not being spared.

The 'Sunday Herald Sun' with a picture of Ranatunga and umpire Ross Emerson pointing fingers at each other and arguing heading their Editorial 'Good riddance' with the following:

'With the MCG drenched by rain and their favourite sport swamped by an avalanche of football publicity, the best news cricket fans heard this week was that Arjuna Ranatunga has crossed Australia off his tour schedule.

The unpleasant Sri Lankan captain will not be missed.

Australians have no time for players who flout cricket's traditions of fair play and restrained aggression, no matter what their nationality, and Ranatunga's absence will not be lamented.

Better if he stays away for good, so little regard does he have for the spirit of the game and so little regard do our cricket crowds have for him after his petulance, posturing and selfishness.

His behaviour in the Sri Lanka-England limited overs international at the Adelaide Oval was unforgivable. When he poked his finger at umpire Ross Emerson, who had called the controversial spinner Muthiah Muralitharan for throwing, he demonstrated his unfitness for the leadership role and his disregard for the rules.

Calling his players to the boundary in protest should have been regarded as forfeiting the match.

Intimidating a disciplinary hearing with a battery of lawyers was also a slap in the face for the sport that has provided him with international recognition, which now will be seen as international notoriety by all but his staunchest supporters.

As England skipper Alec Stewart was heard to say on that shameful day, Ranatunga's conduct was a disgrace for the captain of an international side. We might add that more would be expected of a grade club's captain in suburban Melbourne - and that a tougher penalty would result if his behaviour slumped to Ranatunga's level. Now Ranatunga has branded Australians uncivilised, claiming crowds are better behaved in India and Pakistan, where they have been known to erupt in violence and even burn grandstands, we suspect the spoilt brat from Sri Lanka has lost his grip on reality. He says he has paid his last visit to Australia. We say good riddance to him and all bad sports.'

Instead of brandishing Ranatunga, the writer would have done well and obtained points had he taken the ICC the ACB and Emerson to task. It was they who provoked Ranatunga to do what he did. As for Alec Stewart, when he greeted Ranatunga with a handshake when he was booed by the Perth crowd, tells the story.