London, July 14
India pacer Mohammed Siraj has been fined 15 per cent of his match fee after a breach in the ICC Code of Conduct during India's Test match against England at Lord's.
The incident happened on the fourth day when Siraj produced a fiery opening spell to claim the scalps of Ben Duckett and Olie Pope. After dismissing Duckett, the pacer celebrated close to the batter in his follow-through and made contact as the opener began his walk back to the Lord's long room.
Siraj was 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 his/her dismissal during an International Match".
In addition to the fine, one demerit point has been added to Siraj's disciplinary record, for whom it was the second offence in a 24-month period, taking his tally to two demerit points.
When a player reaches four or more demerit points within a 24-month period, they are converted into suspension points and a player is banned.
The moment was one of several fiery moments in a Test match likely to go down to the wire on day five.
India finished day four at a precarious 58/4 - losing Yashasvi Jaiswal, Karun Nair and captain Shubman Gill in the final session on Sunday. With 135 required to win at the iconic venue, India's hopes rely on overnight batter KL Rahul (33 not out) and Rishabh Pant (who will face the first ball on Monday) to lead them to victory.
Commenting on India's position in the match, allrounder Washington Sundar backed his team to comfortably chase the target.
"Definitely, India (are) winning tomorrow. Probably just after Lunch. Yeah, the position we're in right now, probably for one (wicket) at Stumps today would have been ideal. But the way we bowled, all the fast bowlers in particular, the way they came out today, kept the pressure going throughout the day, it was amazing," Sundar stated.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Honestly, this is being blown out of proportion! English players do worse and get away with it. Remember Broad's send-offs? Double standards much? Siraj was just pumped up after taking a crucial wicket in a tight match.
The real issue is our batting collapse yesterday! 58/4 chasing 135? Hope Rahul and Pant can save us today. Siraj's fine is just a distraction from our bigger problems with the top order.
This is why I love test cricket - the drama, the emotions! Siraj was wrong but you can't take away his fire. Just hope he doesn't cross the line again. Meanwhile, fingers crossed for today's play 🤞
As a neutral observer, the ICC needs to be consistent with these rulings. The same celebration by an English or Australian player wouldn't have attracted this much attention. That said, physical contact is never acceptable in sports.
Forget the fine, let's talk about Siraj's bowling yesterday! What a spell 🔥 He's come so far from being a net bowler to leading our attack at Lord's. A little aggression is part of his game, just needs to keep it within limits.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.