Andrew Strauss was hailed a great sportsman on Friday; today he has been warned what goes around, comes around.

During victory over Sri Lanka in England's opening Champions Trophy game, Strauss recalled Angelo Mathews after he was given run out after a collision with Graham Onions that left the young all-rounder well out of his ground.

But yesterday, the England captain refused Graeme Smith, his South Africa counterpart, a runner when the batsman was suffering from cramp.

"He asked me for a runner because he was cramping, the umpires were not particularly keen to give him one, and I felt at the end of a long game when you have had a long innings you are going to be tired," Strauss said.

"That is one of the things that happens and cramping to a certain extent is a preparation thing and to a certain extent a conditioning thing. I didn't feel he merited having a runner at that stage. My personal view is you shouldn't get a runner for cramps full stop."

Smith, who scored a career-best 141 during the defeat to England, responded by firing a warning shot only a month before England's tour of South Africa.

"From my perspective it seemed a little bit inconsistent," Smith said. "Players have got runners for cramp in the past and there needs to be a level of consistency there.

"The thing I have learned from this game is that the world is round and it is going to come back somewhere in [Strauss's] captaincy. It will be interesting to see how he handles it, if it happens again. It was a crucial part of the game, I had been on the field for 95 overs."