Kandy, July 26 (AFP): Sri Lanka's cricket board lodged a complaint yesterday with the visiting Australians after their bowling consultant and local legend Muttiah Muralitharan was involved in a bust-up with his former colleagues.

On the eve of the first of three Tests, board president Thilanga Sumathipala accused Muralitharan of insulting Sri Lanka team manager Charith Senanayake in a row over the Australians' use of a practice pitch in Colombo.

"Muralitharan's behaviour is unacceptable and we have brought this to the notice of the Australian team management," Sumathipala told reporters.

Sumathipala said Muralitharan had bullied groundsmen at the Pallekele Stadium on Saturday into allowing the Australians to practise there when it was theoretically off limits to both teams. Sumathipala said: "He later confronted our team manager (Senanayake) and abused him."

In response, Muralitharan, accused the board president of knowing nothing about cricket.

"They have no right to accuse me of being a traitor. Have they done one hundredth of what I have contributed to cricket in Sri Lanka? This is a political game to cover their shortcomings," he added. "I am being used as a pawn to cover their failings."

Training issue

His outburst was sparked by a complaint by the board that he had bullied groundsmen into letting the Australians practise on the pitch which hosts the opening match in a three-Test series from today. Cricket Australia confirmed they received a complaint about the incident at Pallekele Stadium, but said the issue had been resolved.