Simon Katich has slammed Mohammed Siraj for his send-off Travis Head and said the incident might ignite the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which is locked at 1-1 after two Tests.
Head and Siraj had a brief showdown on day two of the match that Australia won by 10 wickets on Sunday. Head had struck a splendid 141-ball knock of 140 before being castled by Siraj, who went on to give him an aggressive send-off following an exchange of words.
The Indian endured booes from the Adelaide crowd following the confrontation.
“It’s a shame that Siraj had a bit of a brain fade… there’s no need for that in the game,” Katich told SEN 1170 Breakfast.
“He would regret that Siraj… it was all spur of the moment and when he got Mitchell Starc out not long after that he was pretty sheepish.
“It all happens in a split second and it’s hard to control emotions sometimes when you’re upset with what’s just unfolded.
“You don’t know what head space some of the players are in at times… he was probably disappointed with his performance and something like this can happen.”
Mohammed Siraj was fined 20 per cent of his match fee, while Travis Head was also “sanctioned” by the ICC for indulging in a heated exchange of words during the day-night Test. Siraj and Head were held guilty of breaching the world body’s code of conduct following a disciplinary hearing on Monday.
“Siraj has been penalised 20 per cent 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,” the ICC said in a statement.
The cited rule relates to “using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon dismissal.”
The ICC said Head too was “sanctioned” for breaching Article 2.13 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel.
The two teams are tied 1-1 in the five-match series and the third Test will be played at the Gabba from Saturday.