Mohammed Siraj was fined 15% of his match fees and given one demerit point.
Former captains Sunil Gavaskar and Nasser Hussain defended Mohammed Siraj’s actions after the India pacer copped a 15% fine and one demerit point from the ICC after his fiery altercation with England opener Ben Duckett during the third Test at Lord’s recently.
Siraj dismissed Duckett on Sunday, sparking a wild jubilation as the Lord's Test turned into a fierce battle from the last over of Day 3.
The match authorities noticed that the Indian pacer's shoulder collided with Duckett when he was celebrating. Gavaskar thought it was a little unfair because Siraj was penalized 15% of his match fees for the incident.
According to the Indian legend, he saw nothing wrong with it and thought it wasn't a farewell to the batter. Gavaskar also feels that it was Duckett who initiated the contact during the incident.
"I actually didn't see anything wrong with that celebration because he wasn't giving the batter a send-off. Actually, when you give a sendoff, that is where I think you need to be fined. But if you're in the face saying, got you, I don't think that is any reason for the player to be summoned before the match referee,” Gavaskar told India Today.
"I think it was just over the top, as far as the matchup fee is concerned. If you see the contact that happened, it was Ben Duckett who came there. Siraj is not in this. Siraj's shoulder is a bit this way. Duckett is the one who made the contact. Well, I mean, there you are. I think the match referee has taken the call. Hopefully, Siraj will celebrate subtly, maybe, because at the end of the day, all you want is to keep on getting wickets. It doesn't matter what else happens," said Gavaskar.
Meanwhile, Nasser Hussain expressed his disapproval of the call, stating that it is normal for a fiery cricket player to celebrate excessively during a match.
A silent remark from the match referee should have been sufficient for Siraj, according to the former England captain, who stated that he did not want to see 22 robots play.
"[That punishment] is just not for me. These are not robots; these are people giving it absolutely everything, ball after ball on a hot week. You're playing for a country passionate about cricket, you're passionate. Sometimes, as a fiery individual, you will go slightly over the mark. You do not want 22 robots, you want a bit of fight, so a quiet word from the match referee would have been enough for me," Hussain told Sky Sports.
England etched out a narrow 22-run win at Lord’s to go 2-1 up in the series. The fourth Test will be played in Manchester from July 23 onwards.