New Delhi, Mar 3 Matthew Hayden might have got away with his "obnoxious weed" remark against Harbhajan Singh, but former Kiwi all-rounder Craig McMillan said the behaviour of the Australian opener was uncalled for.

"When two competitive teams fight it out in the field, lot of things happens, some of which may go over the top. But what Hayden did was off the field and I don't think he should have done that," McMillan told PTI.

However, McMillan opposed BCCI's proposal to ban sledging and said banning the verbal duel would take away the charm from the game and make it robotic.

"In a match, each team tries not to give the other a chance, so a few things happen. But to impose a ban completely is not the right thing to do. You can do that if you are playing with robots. We are human and banning it will make it more difficult for the players," said McMillan, who is here to take part in the Indian Cricket League tournament.

McMillan also minced no words in lashing out at the ICC for following the diktats of the Indian Board and banning the players aligning with the ICL.

"Banning is not going to do any good. It is crazy, why they are doing this I don't understand. BCCI has been very heavy-handed and they are pulling the shots, it's not right. Restricting players will land them in trouble," he said.

The move to ban ICL-aligned players has sounded death knell for many New Zealand players and McMillan criticised the Kiwi board for taking such a step.

"It really hurts when the country's board bans the top players just for playing in a different league. It is a shame. We all have young families, we are underpaid but we always have given the best to the game. Yet we have been treated badly," he said. (Agencies)