IND vs AUS: Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj and Australian batter Travis Head have both been sanctioned by the International Cricket Council (ICC) following a fiery altercation during the recently concluded day-night Test in Adelaide. Both players were found guilty of breaching the ICC’s Code of Conduct for Players after a disciplinary hearing on Monday.
Siraj was fined 20 percent of his match fee for violating Article 2.5 of the ICC Code of Conduct, which addresses the use of language, actions, or gestures that could provoke an aggressive reaction from an opponent. The incident occurred after Siraj dismissed Head on day two of the match, leading to a heated exchange of words between the two. Siraj’s aggressive send-off of Head during the dismissal led to boos from the Adelaide crowd.
Head, who had scored a brilliant 140 runs off 141 balls before being dismissed by Siraj, was also “sanctioned” by the ICC for breaching Article 2.13, which covers the abuse of players, support staff, umpires, or match referees. However, Head escaped a financial penalty, as the breach did not warrant such a fine. Both players were issued one demerit point on their disciplinary records, marking their first offence in the past 24 months.
In a statement, the ICC confirmed that both Siraj and Head admitted to their offences and accepted the sanctions proposed by Match Referee Ranjan Madugalle.
The altercation began after Siraj dismissed Head, prompting a verbal exchange. Siraj celebrated aggressively, which led to a confrontation. Head later claimed he only said “well bowled” to Siraj and was disappointed by the bowler’s reaction. However, Siraj disputed this, asserting that Head had insulted him. “I only celebrated, and he abused me. What he said in the press conference isn’t true,” Siraj told broadcaster Star Sports.
Head also acknowledged his part in the incident, admitting that his response had been inappropriate. “There was no confrontation leading up to it, and I felt like it was probably a little bit too far at the time. That’s why I’m disappointed in my reaction,” he said in a post-match interview.
The heated exchange occurred during a tense match that saw Australia winning by 10 wickets, leveling the five-match series at 1-1.
