
India fast bowler Mohammad Siraj has been fined 15 per cent of his match fee for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct during the fourth day of the third match of their ICC World Test Championship series against England at Lord’s on Sunday.
Siraj was found to have breached 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 this, one demerit point has been added to the disciplinary record of Siraj, for whom it was the second offence in a 24-month period, taking his tally of demerit points in a 24-month period to two.
Siraj received his earlier demerit point during the second Test against Australia in Adelaide on December 7, 2024.
Sunday’s incident occurred in the sixth over of England’s second innings, when Siraj, after dismissing opener Ben Duckett, celebrated excessively at close proximity to the dismissed batter. Siraj ran up to the batter and celebrated in his face, yelling “come on” repeatedly, with a minor shoulder tap as well as Duckett proceeded towards the pavilion. Duckett scored a run-a-ball 12.
Siraj admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by Richie Richardson of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees, so there was no need for a formal hearing.
On-field umpires Paul Reiffel and Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid, third umpire Ahsan Raza and fourth umpire Graham Lloyd levelled the charge.
Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand, a maximum penalty of 50 per cent of a player’s match fee, and one or two demerit points.
Meanwhile, the Anderson-Tendulkar is currently at parity, with a decisive fifth day of the Lord’s Test set to decide the course of the series.
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