Mohammed Siraj was penalized 20% of his match fee, while Australian batter Travis Head also faced an ICC “sanction” for engaging in a heated verbal exchange during the recently concluded day-night Test in Adelaide.
Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj was fined 20% of his match fee, while Australian batter Travis Head also faced an ICC “sanction” for engaging in a heated exchange of words during the recently concluded day-night Test in Adelaide. Following a disciplinary hearing on Monday, both Siraj and Head were found guilty of breaching the ICC’s Code of Conduct.
“Siraj has been fined 20% 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,” the ICC stated. This article pertains to “using language, actions, or gestures that disparage or provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon dismissal.” Meanwhile, Head was “sanctioned” for violating Article 2.13, which addresses the “abuse of a player, player support personnel, umpire, or match referee during an international match.” However, Head did not incur a fine for this breach.
Both players were also issued one demerit point on their disciplinary records, marking their first offence in the last 24 months. “Both admitted their offences and accepted the sanctions proposed by Match Referee Ranjan Madugalle,” the ICC added.
The confrontation occurred on day two of the match, which Australia won by 10 wickets on Sunday. Head had played a brilliant knock of 140 off 141 balls before being dismissed by Siraj, who then gave him an aggressive send-off after an exchange of words.
Siraj received boos from the Adelaide crowd following the incident. Head later claimed he had only said “well bowled” to Siraj, expressing disappointment in the bowler’s reaction. Siraj, however, disputed this, asserting that Head had abused him. “I only celebrated, and he abused me. You saw that on TV too. I didn’t say anything to him,” Siraj told broadcaster ‘Star Sports’. “What he said in the press conference wasn’t right. It’s a lie that he only said ‘well bowled’ to me.”
Head, acknowledging his role in the incident, admitted, “There was no confrontation leading up to him and I felt like it was probably, yeah, a little bit far at the time, and that’s why I’m disappointed in the reaction that I gave back.”
The two teams are now tied 1-1 in the five-match series.
