India pacer Mohammed Siraj and Australia top-order batter Travis Head were both sanctioned on Monday (December 9, 2024) for their on-field confrontation during the Adelaide pink-ball Test. The duo had thrown verbal volleys at each other after Siraj cleaned up centurion Head on Day Two of the second Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test. (Full Coverage | More Cricket News)

The International Cricket Council (ICC) penalised Siraj 20% of his match fee after finding the bowler guilty of breaching article 2.5 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel which pertains to “using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon dismissal."

Head was penalized for breaching Article 2.13 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which is about the “abuse of a player, player support personnel, umpire or match referee during an international match.”

Siraj and Head were handed one demerit point each on their disciplinary records, which marks the first offence for both in the last two years. The players both admitted their respective offences and accepted the sanctions proposed by match referee Ranjan Madugalle.

The duo had a brief showdown during the day-night match that Australia won by 10 wickets on Sunday. Head had struck a superb 141-ball knock of 140 before being clean bowled by Siraj, who went on to give him an aggressive send-off following an exchange of words. The Indian endured boos from the Adelaide crowd following the confrontation.

Head later said he had just said "well bowled" to Siraj and that he was disappointed at how the seamer had responded. Siraj disputed that claim, asserting that Head had abused him.

"I only celebrated and he abused me and you saw that on TV too. I only celebrated at the start, I didn't say anything to him," Siraj told broadcaster Star Sports.

"What he said in the press conference wasn't right, it's a lie that he only said 'well bowled' to me. It's there for everyone to see that that's not what he said to me."

Meanwhile, Australia's emphatic win temporarily lifted them to the top of the ICC World Test Championship standings. But they were soon displaced by South Africa following their victory over Sri Lanka. India, meanwhile, slipped to third place.

(With PTI inputs)