A racist comment made by former Australian Test batsman and commentator Dean Jones when he thought an ad break was occurring has landed him in hot water.
He was commentating in Sri Lanka during the Sri Lanka-South Africa Test when South African Muslim Hashim Amla took a catch to dismiss Kumar Sangakkara.
Jones commented: "The terrorist has got another wicket."
There was an immediate reaction in the offices of Cricket South Africa and the South African broadcast host SuperSport which was taking the feed. Phone lines were jammed.
While an ad break had been taken in Sri Lanka, the commentary was still live to South Africa.
Jones was immediately dropped from the commentary panel and told journalists in a statement at Colombo Airport, "I'm gone, I'm on the 1am flight.
"It was a silly and completely insensitive thing to say and. Obviously, it was never supposed to be heard over the air.
"I am truly sorry to have caused offence to anybody and the last thing I intended was to be disrespectful.
"Everyone needs to get away from perpetuating the myth, publicly and privately, that beards associated with the Muslim faith are somehow suspicious, and I intend to do exactly that.
"The irony is that I am great friends with most of the Pakistan team and they are all Muslims.
"It does not represent who I am, how I think or what I believe," he said.
