Mohammed Siraj fined 15 per cent of match fee for fiery send-off to Duckett
London, Jul 14 (PTI): India pacer Mohammed Siraj was on Monday penalised 15 per cent of his match fee and docked one demerit point following an aggressive reaction to the wicket of England opener Ben Ducket on day four of the third Test at Lord's here.
Siraj, who has taken four wickets in the Test, was found guilty of breaching Article 2.5 of the International Cricket Council's 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".
Siraj gave Duckett a fiery send-off and brushed shoulders with the opener after dismissing him for 12 runs in England's second innings on Sunday.
England were all out for 192 in 62.1 overs. India, who ended the day at 58/4 on day 4, are 135 runs away from victory.
"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," said ICC in a statement.
"After the dismissal, Siraj celebrated close to the batter in his follow-through and made contact as Duckett began his walk back to the Lord's long room," the statement added.
"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.
Siraj then went on to dismiss top-order batter Ollie Pope for four, reducing the hosts to 42 for 2.
Siraj's fiery send-off was one of several such moments on day four of the Test when a total of 14 wickets fell.
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Zameer Ahmed reacts to Muslim leaders’ letter to Congress high command
Bengaluru: Minister Zameer Ahmed has responded to reports of Muslim community leaders writing to the Congress high command expressing concerns.
Speaking to reporters, he said he had seen the letter in the media and noted that around 15–16 community leaders had written to Rahul Gandhi, as well as to the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister and Mallikarjun Kharge.
“They have expressed their views. If you want to know their opinion, you should ask them. I cannot speak on their behalf,” he said.
Stressing that there is no discrimination, Zameer Ahmed said everyone is being treated equally. “Since those who wrote the letter are community leaders, the reasons behind it should be asked to them directly,” he added.
He also said that different leaders express different views. “One person may speak in my favour, another may speak for someone else. There is no need to consider all that,” he said, referring to discussions around leaders like Abdul Jabbar and Naseer Ahmed.
On the issue concerning Naseer Ahmed, Zameer Ahmed said he is a senior leader and that if any anti-party activity was involved, due process should have been followed. “There is a procedure, a notice should be issued first, a reply should be obtained, and then action should be taken. This is also the view expressed by Satish Jarkiholi and several others,” he said.
He clarified that he is not saying action against anyone is wrong if anti-party activity is proven, but decisions should follow proper procedure.
Responding to demands that action against Abdul Jabbar and Naseer Ahmed be withdrawn, he said steps should be taken as per rules and that there was a view that immediate action may not have been necessary.
On the mention in the letter about “teaching a lesson” in future elections, he said there is indeed some dissatisfaction among political and community leaders. “We will speak and resolve the issues. Those who have written the letter should be asked directly,” he said.
