Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Indian fast-bowler Mohammed Siraj has been fined 20 percent of his match fee for giving an aggressive send-off to Australia batter Travis Head during the second Test of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy at the Adelaide Oval.
On the fourth ball of the 82nd over on Day Two in the pink-ball Test, Siraj castled Head with a terrific in-swinging yorker, and the pacer gave the batter a fiery send-off by aggressively gesturing to walk back towards the direction of the dressing room. A brief verbal exchange followed between the two, but the pair reconciled on the field when Siraj came out to bat during India’s second innings, following which Australia won by ten wickets.
Despite that, the Adelaide crowd made constant boos whenever Siraj was fielding in the deep or came on to bowl, to express their displeasure over how he behaved with Head, who was the Player of the Match for his brilliant 140.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Monday that Siraj was penalised after being found guilty of breaching article 2.5 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel which relates to “using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon dismissal.”
It added that Head too was sanctioned 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 Siraj and Head received one demerit point each on their disciplinary records, marking their first offence within the last 24 months. The duo admitted their respective offences and accepted the sanctions proposed by Match Referee Ranjan Madugalle, with no formal hearing needed.
On-field umpires Chris Gaffaney and Richard Illingworth, third umpire Richard Kettleborough and fourth umpire, Phillip Gillespie levelled the charges. Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand, a maximum penalty of 50 per cent of a player’s match fee, and one or two demerit points.
With the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy series at 1-1, India and Australia will now play the third Test at the Gabba in Brisbane, starting on December 14.
