Kiwi captain McCullum slams 'immature' Smith over Stokes' controversial dismissal

New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum has criticised his Australian counterpart Steve Smith, saying that the latter showed his 'immaturity' in handling the controversial dismissal of Ben Stokes during their second ODI against England at Lords on Saturday.

England all-rounder Stokes was controversially adjudged out for 'obstructing the field' after he struck his hand out at Mitchell Starc's throw aimed at the stumps. However, the batsman said that he didn't deliberately lift his hand to block the ball and insisted that it was purely out of human reaction to protect himself.

McCullum said in his column for a daily that Smith missed a great opportunity to strike a blow for the spirit of cricket, adding that the Australian showed his immaturity by not withdrawing his appeal, News.com.au reported.

McCullum, who led New Zealand to their first World Cup final, further said that it was disappointing to see that Smith had a chance to make a statement about the way he wants his side to play the game but he chose to go the other way by going ahead with the appeal.

The New Zealand captain added that Smith's predecessor Michael Clarke would have withdrawn the appeal had he still been in charge.

The trans-Tasmanian rivals are set to clash against each other later this year and McCullum insisted that his side believe in upholding the spirit of the game.