India fast bowler Mohammed Siraj and Australia batter Travis Head are reportedly set to be charged by the International Cricket Council (ICC) following their ugly one-field exchange during the second Test match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Adelaide. The match ended in favour of Australia, as the hosts won by 10 wickets to level the contest at 1-1.
The incident happened on the second day of the pink ball Test at the Adelaide Oval after Siraj dismissed Head for 140 from 141 deliveries with a perfect in-swinging yorker. The Indian quick soon turned into a villain in front of the Adelaide crowd as he gave the hometown hero a fiery send-off. He threw a death stare, followed by a gesture towards the dressing room, leaving Head fuming as he hurled a mouthful at Siraj.
According to a report in The Daily Telegraph, both players are expected to face a disciplinary hearing over their controversial on-field argument. However, both teams can heave a sigh of relief, as neither Head nor Siraj will be handed a suspension, as audible infractions carry a lower punishment in the ICC’s Code of Conduct.
Did Head ‘abuse’ Siraj?
The feud between Head and Siraj did not end on Day 2 in Adelaide, as it extended beyond the cricket pitch. Speaking to the media after the incident, the Aussie batter, named the Player of the Match, revealed that he said, “Well bowled, mate”, after he hit Siraj for a six into the Adelaide stands in the delivery before his dismissal.
“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.
However, Siraj denied Head’s claim before the 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 later met on the field on Day 3 of the match, during India’s second innings, and they seemingly exchanged friendly words to bury the hatchet.
