Jos Buttler run-out defended by Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews

Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews has defended the controversial run-out of England's Jos Buttler during his side's one-day international win at Edgbaston.

Bowler Sachithra Senanayake twice warned Buttler for straying out of his crease at the non-striker's end before removing the bails to dismiss him.  "I would stick by it. What we did was completely within the rules," said Mathews after the six-wicket win.  But England skipper Alastair Cook said: "I thought it was a pretty poor act."  Buttler, at the non-striker's end, was 'backing up' - walking down the pitch as off-spinner Senanayake ran in to bowl in readiness to run.  But Sri Lanka - who clinched the series 3-2 with this win - felt Buttler was attempting to gain an unfair advantage, not only at Edgbaston but during his century at Lord's in the previous ODI.

"He was taking starts, not only this game but in the last game as well," explained Mathews.  "We gave him two warnings. I don't know what else you can do to stop him doing that, so we had to go for it."  Given the stigma in the game about that method of running out a batsman, umpire Michael Gough checked with skipper Mathews that he wished Senanayake's appeal to be upheld.  And although Sri Lanka adhered to Law 42.11 from the International Cricket Council's playing regulations for international cricket,  which states "the bowler is permitted, before releasing the ball and provided he has not completed his usual delivery swing, to attempt to run out the non-striker", England captain Cook said it was a mode of dismissal from which he would not have been comfortable to benefit.

Sri Lanka's Senanayake (right) runs out England's Buttler during their one day international at Edgbaston

"You don't know until you're put in that position, but I hope I wouldn't," said Cook afterwards. "Yes he had warned him, but it was not as if he was sprinting down the wicket. There's a way of doing things, in my opinion."  But former England captain Alec Stewart said Sri Lanka were within their rights to appeal.  "With the laws of the game as they are Sri Lanka are entitled to appeal," Stewart said on Test Match Special. "We don't like to see that, but why have that law when it can't be used?"

However, ex-England spinner Phil Tufnell, also a pundit on TMS, said Sri Lanka's action were "poor".  "Buttler just dragged out of the popping crease," he said. "Senanayake came down and then stopped - that could happen at any time.  "Senanayake's gone through his action - Buttler was out of his crease, but then everybody would be. There will be feeling in that England dressing room that they had some injustice done to them."  Another former England skipper, fellow TMS summariser Michael Vaughan, wrote on Twitter:  "Totally blame the captain... He is the man who makes the decisions and should have overturned the decision... No way to play the game."

In an unrelated matter, Senanayake had been reported to the ICC for a suspected illegal bowling action by the umpires after Saturday's fourth match in the series.  However, he is permitted to continue bowling, provided that he undergoes an ICC test within 21 days.