India fast bowler Mohammed Siraj and Australia batter Travis Head have been penalised by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday following their fiery on-field exchange during the recently-completed second Test match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Adelaide, where the hosts won by 10 wickets to level the contest 1-1.
Siraj faced a stricter punishment as he was handed a fine of 20 per cent of his match fee after being found guilty of breaching article 2.5 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel which pertains to “using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon dismissal.”
Head, on the other hand, was penalised for breaching Article 2.13 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to the “abuse of a player, player support personnel, umpire or match referee during an international match.”
Both players received one demerit point each after their first offence in the last 24 months but escaped suspension as both teams heaved a sigh of relief. Siraj and Head admitted their respective offences relating to the incident on the second day of the Adelaide Test and accepted the sanctions proposed by Match Referee Ranjan Madugalle.
What had happened between Mohammed Siraj, Travis Head?
The incident happened when Siraj dismissed Head for 140 off 141 with a stunning in-swinging yorker. The Indian, who was hit for a six in the previous ball, followed it up with a fiery send-off to the hometown hero, a death stare and a gesture towards the dressing room. The Aussie, in return, he hurled a mouthful at Siraj.
The feud stretched off the field as Head, speaking to the media at the end of Day 2, revealed that he said, “Well bowled, mate”.
However, Siraj accused Head of making a false claim before the start of third day’s play, saying that he was “abused” by the centurion.
“When you get hit for a six on a good ball, it fires you up differently. And when I got him bowled, I only celebrated, and he abused me, and you saw that on TV, too,” he told Star Sports. “I only celebrated at the start; I didn’t say anything to him. What he said in the press conference wasn’t right, it’s a lie that he only said ‘well bowled’ to me. It’s there for everyone to see that that’s not what he said to me. We respect everyone; it’s not like we disrespect other players. I respect everybody because cricket is a gentleman’s game, but what he did wasn’t right. I didn’t like it at all.”
The duo, however, seemingly exchanged friendly words to bury the hatchet when they met on the field on Day 3 of the match, during India’s second innings.
