Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj sparked controversy in Adelaide on Saturday after giving Australian batter Travis Head a fiery send-off during the second Test. Siraj dismissed Head for a scintillating 140 runs, but his animated celebration following the wicket drew criticism.
During the incident, Siraj was flicked over deep square leg for six but he got his revenge a ball later. The Indian seamer’s yorker castled Head who missed on converting the low full toss.
Travis Head punishes India with a counter-attacking hundred in Adelaide Test
As Head started to walk off, Siraj aggressively approached the left-hander and told him to get off. An irate Head responded by saying,” F**k you, c**t”.
Head, speaking to Fox Cricket, expressed disappointment, remarking, “If they want to react like that… then so be it,” hinting at discontent with Siraj’s conduct.
The incident provoked boos from the Adelaide Oval crowd, which continued throughout the rest of the Australian innings. The hostility is expected to persist for the remainder of the second Test and perhaps for the five-match series.
Former Australian captain Mark Taylor weighed in on the matter during the Willow Talk podcast, describing Siraj’s behaviour as “disrespecting the game.”
Taylor criticised not only the send-off but also Siraj’s habit of prematurely celebrating potential dismissals, even before the umpire’s decision. Taylor cited an instance where Siraj celebrated what he thought was an LBW against Marnus Labuschagne, only for the appeal to be turned down.
“I don’t know who instigated it, but it’s not a good look, particularly when a guy makes 140,” Taylor said of Siraj’s confrontation with Head.
“I’d like to see someone have a little word to Mohammed Siraj.
“I like his competitive nature, he’s a fine bowler… I don’t like the fact that when he hits a guy on the pads, and he thinks he’s got him out LBW, he continues to run down the pitch, past the batsman, almost gets to the keeper and then looks around to the umpire to see if he’s going to give it out.
“That’s got to stop, and if it doesn’t stop shortly, someone – and it’ll be the umpires or the match referee – might stop it for him, and give him a game off. We don’t want that.”
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Taylor suggested Siraj’s teammates should step in to rein him back, emphasising the need to maintain respect for the game and its opponents, especially during high-stakes matches.
“Someone like a Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli needs to go up to him, and say ‘mate, yeah be excited, be aggressive, get in batsmen’s face, love all that, but that is disrespecting the game and the umpire’,” he said.
Fellow host of the podcast and Australian wicketkeeper Brad Haddin agreed with Taylor. Haddin said it was a ‘really bad look’ and said it could fuel the Aussie crowds and team for the remainder of the summer.
“I think what we’re going to see when he comes out to bat, these Australian quicks have got a long memory,” he said.
“It’s a long series. I think they’re going to go after him and remind him about what happened.”
However, former Australian seamer Brett Lee, no stranger to on-field outbursts himself, had sympathy for Siraj.
“There’s nothing untoward there. I think the umpires make that call [to warn Siraj] to say ‘just chill out a little bit’,” Lee said on Fox Cricket.
“The guy [Head] got 140, cops a spray – that wasn’t too bad.”
Ponting: ‘Siraj might have a bit to answer for’
Former Australian great Ricky Ponting was unimpressed by the exchange between Siraj and Head and said the bowler would almost certainly find himself in trouble with match official Ranjan Madugalle.
“That’s what you call the old-fashioned send-off – umpires and referees do not see kindly to stuff like that,” Ponting said on Channel Seven. “Siraj wasn’t happy to be clipped over deep backward square for six… and he might have a bit to answer for.”
While on Fox Cricket Kerry O’Keeffe said “I don’t know whether a send-off is valid when a bloke’s 140.”
‘I’m going to stand up for myself’: Head
At the conclusion of Day 2, Head said he regretted his own role in the incident but said he had taken exception to several encounters with the Indian cricket team during the series.
“I actually jokingly said well bowled and then he pointed me to the sheds and I had my reaction as well. I don’t want to give it too much air time,” Head said.
“I was surprised at the reaction in terms of situation of the game and in the lead-up. There was no confrontation leading up to it. I felt like it was probably a little bit far at the time. That’s why I’m disappointed at the reaction that I gave back. But I’m also going to stand up for myself. That’s not how I’d like to play the game.”
“There’s been conversations I’ve had. I’ll leave those conversations to the individuals around that. Like I said, I feel like the way I would like to play the game and I guess the respect shown from myself and I hope my teammates, I hold high expectations of my teammates as well and the way we conduct ourselves and the way we go about things. I can’t speak much for India but I’m going to call out certain situations,” Head said.
“I’ve had conversations with guys this series about that. I feel like you can play hard and play fair, but obviously, when you’re out, can’t do much about it. I’m disappointed with the reaction I had after that but certainly I’m going to stand up for myself I think the relationship (between the teams) is really, really good. I think that’s why I’m disappointed. I feel like the game has moved, and the way I play the game is having a good time. I want to enjoy myself. I want to play hard, play fair, and I have a joke with the fielders in the field, always interacting, and it’s been on very simple terms and enjoyable.”