Adelaide: Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj and Australian batter Travis Head are penalised by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for their heated exchange in the second Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy. The duo has escaped from the suspension by ICC. Both of them were found guilty of breaching the ICC’s code of conduct. Siraj has been penalised 20% of his match fee while Head was also sanctioned. Both received one demerit point each on their disciplinary records.
"Siraj has been penalised 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 which relates to “using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon dismissal," ICC said in an official release.
Mohammed Siraj and Travis Head have been penalised following their on-field incident during the second Test in Adelaide 👀 #WTC25 | #AUSvIND | Full details 👇https://t.co/IaRloqCln2
— ICC (@ICC) December 9, 2024
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.”
Tension were high in the second Test and it reflected in what transpired between Siraj and Head after the latter’s dismissal. The Indian pace bowler gave an explosive send-off to the Australian batter after cleaning him up on 140. As Head walked back to the pavilion after being dismissed on a yorker, the pair exchanged words in the middle.
The home crowd in Adelaide stood firmly behind the local hero and booed Siraj relentlessly after the incident. The Indian pacer was moved into the inner field from the boundary ropes by the captain to avoid further provocation. Head had expressed disappointment after the incident mentioning he has only said ‘well bowled’. However, both the players hugged it out after the match and made things normal.
Notably, Siraj was also involved in another altercation with Marnus Labuschagne as he threw the ball at the batter in frustration after the play was stopped due to a ‘beer snake’ distraction in the crowd.
The Border Gavaskar Trophy is now levelled at 1-1 currently and the third Test of the series will be played in Brisbane starting from December 14.