Talking to newsmen here on his return from Australia, where his team failed to qualify for the finals, Ranatunga said, ``I don't think I will go back to Australia to play cricket anyway. I don't want to lose a couple of years of my life.''

He said the crowds in the Indian sub-continent were thousand times better than the ones he has faced in Australia.

``Those living in glass houses should not throw stones. Australia and England, whenever they tour the sub-continent, complain about unruly crowd behaviour. But they can not see the behaviour of their own crowds. I must say the conduct of the Indian and Pakistan crowds is thousand times better than the Australian crowd,'' he said.

Ranatunga said this year's Australian tour was one of the most `troubled' tours of hiscareer as the Sri Lankan team had to play in a `surcharged' atmosphere.

The Sri Lankan skipper received a six-match suspended sentence for leading his players off the field. Throughout the tour Ranatunga was targeted by the Australian crowds for his `arrogant' behaviour and chanted `Chucker' and 'No ball' whenever Muralitharan bowled against Australia and England, the skipper said yesterday.