NEW DELHI: India pacer Mohammed Siraj and Australia’s star batter Travis Head are reportedly under ICC scrutiny following a heated exchange during the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Adelaide. Australia won the match by 10 wickets, leveling the series 1-1.
The incident occurred during the 82nd over of Australia’s innings when Siraj bowled a stunning in-swinging yorker to dismiss Head. Following the wicket, Siraj gave Head a fiery send-off, gesturing aggressively towards the stands.
In response, Head exchanged words with Siraj before walking off to applause from the home crowd.The incident triggered a backlash from the Adelaide crowd, which booed Siraj whenever he fielded near the boundary or came on to bowl, expressing displeasure at his conduct.
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According to The Daily Telegraph, both Siraj and Head are expected to face a disciplinary hearing for their on-field altercation. However, they are unlikely to receive suspensions, as such incidents typically attract milder penalties.
Head, who was named Player of the Match, addressed the incident during a press interaction, revealing that he had said “Well bowled, mate” after hitting Siraj for a six prior to his dismissal. While he expressed regret over his reaction, he defended his decision to stand his ground.
“It probably (went) a little bit far; that’s why I’m disappointed in the reaction I gave back, but I’m also going to stand up for myself. Like to think in our team, we wouldn’t do that. [It’s] not the way I’d like to play the game and feel like my teammates are the same. If I see that, I probably call it out, which I did,” Head said during the press conference.
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Siraj, however, disputed Head’s account in an interview with Star Sports ahead of Day 3.
“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.”
By Day 3, tensions seemed to have eased. The two players were seen chatting when Siraj came out to bat during India’s second innings, signaling that they may have put the incident behind them.
