Gilchrist had the ball inside his left glove to improve his grip on the bat as he smashed 149 off 104 balls to help Australia to victory against Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka Cricket said he had broken the "spirit and tradition of the game".

But the Marylebone Cricket Club, which is responsible for cricket's rules, said Gilchrist had not contravened the game's laws or spirit.

The MCC said in a statement: "In this case, apparently the addendum to the inside of the batting gloves was not for protection from injury, but to improve the way the batsman gripped the bat handle.

"This should not be considered unfair. Similarly, it has never been considered unfair for batsmen to use two grips on the bat handle.

"The glove manufacturers might, for added protection against jarring, have put an extra pad of some cushioning material as an integral part of the inside of the palm.

"This would be entirely legal, but have the same effect on his grip for a batsman who wore such gloves.

"In conclusion, the incident could not be classed either as contravening the law or as breaching the spirit of the game."