India were bowled out for 180 in the second Test of the five-match series, at the Adelaide Oval, after Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bat. The Test began in dramatic fashion when Mitchell Starc trapped Yashasvi Jaiswal leg-before with the first ball, becoming the second bowler to tee off three separate Test matches with a wicket.
KL Rahul (37) and Shubman Gill (31) then added 69 before Starc (6-48) returned for a second spell. As Pat Cummins (2-41) and Scott Boland (2-54) also chipped in, India soon slumped to 109-6 and then 141-8. Nitish Kumar Reddy then smashed an enterprising 42 to take India to a fighting total.
The Indian seamers began well, bowling to a tight line and length without much success. Jasprit Bumrah (1-13) struck, but Nathan McSweeney and Marnus Labuschagne, having failed in the first Test, stepped up.
As Mohammed Siraj steamed in to bowl the fifth ball of his 10th over (25th of the innings), a man carrying a very long beer-snake – a stack of plastic beer cups – walked past the sight-screen. Labuschagne, Siraj’s old adversary from their unofficial “A” Test match days, obviously pulled out.
This did not sit well with Siraj, who vented out by throwing the ball at the stumps, just missing off. Siraj responded with a short-of-length ball that Labuschagne dispatched to the fence. Rohit took Siraj off the attack after that over.
• Man runs behind the sight screen with a beer snake
— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) December 6, 2024
• Marnus pulls away while Siraj is running in
• Siraj is not happy
All happening at Adelaide Oval 🫣 #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/gRburjYhHg
Australia were 94-1 at stumps on day one with McSweeney on 38 and Labuschagne on 20. They trail by 86.
Can the ICC penalise Siraj?
As per the ICC Code of Conduct, the closest clause Siraj might have violated was 2.9, which deals with “throwing a ball (or any other item of cricket equipment such as a water bottle) at or near a Player, Player Support Personnel, Umpire, Match Referee or any other third person in an inappropriate and/or dangerous manner during an International Match”.
The clause also mentions that “this offence will not prohibit a fielder or bowler from returning the ball to the stumps in the normal fashion, or from throwing the ball at the stumps or to a teammate when attempting a run out”.
The clause adds that the officials will consider “(i) the context of the particular situation, including, without limitation, whether the action was deliberate, reckless, negligent, and/or avoidable; (ii) whether the ball/object struck the other person; (iii) the speed at which the ball/object was thrown; and (iv) the distance from which the ball/object was thrown”.
Though it did not strike Labuschagne, Siraj’s action was obviously deliberate, reckless, negligent, and/or avoidable. As with most aspects, the decision will lie with the referee. If found guilty, Siraj will likely be charged with a Level 1 offence.
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