Nevill defends 'stumping' of Karunaratne

Peter Nevill has rejected suggestions that his stumping of Sri Lanka's Dimuth Karunaratne went against the spirit of cricket.

Peter Nevill... Lack of sportsmanship?

Peter Nevill has rejected suggestions his stumping of Sri Lanka's of Dimuth Karunaratne went against the spirit of cricket. 

Australia's wicketkeeper waited until the opener, having played and missed a Nathan Lyon delivery, briefly lifted his back foot before removing the bails on day four of the third Test in Colombo on Tuesday.

The dismissal was awarded following a review, prompting some to accuse Nevill of poor sportsmanship.

"Well, there's always people who are going to say something like that, but I don't think it's contrary to the spirit of cricket," he said.

"If you don't want to get stumped, stay in your crease. You can sort of see a shifting of weight and you're expecting the back foot to come up. 

"That's the hunch I had and that's what happened. Just managed to get the bails off in time."

Sri Lanka centurion Kaushal Silva, who notched 115 as the hosts reached 312-8 to lead by 288 runs going into day five, defended Nevill's opportunism. 

"I don't see it as a wrong thing," he said. "But you can't also take wickets in a way that is against the spirit of the sport. That said, there's no problem if it's done the right way."