The Australian legend Ricky Ponting stated that there was not “any malice intended at the start” during the ‘accidental’ thing between India Mohammed Siraj and Australia Travis Head that happened during the pink-ball Test in Adelaide.
After being hit for a six over deep square leg by the left-handed Australian batter, Siraj had cleaned up Head and signalled him towards the dressing room
Siraj, after getting the wick Head, who scored 140 runs, with an inswinging yorker and had made a gesture to walk back against the Aussie batter. But the Australian international also hit back as the video of the verbal exchange got viral.
Head told in an interaction with ABC News where he revealed that there was a bit of misunderstanding between the two.
“I know Travis has gone and said that he said ‘well bowled’ at the start. Siraj obviously wasn’t happy about being hit over the deep backward square for six the ball before,” Ponting said in the ICC Review.
“Rohit (Sharma) I’m sure would have expected these fast bowlers to act like that. When they’re under pressure, getting hit, and then have just got a wicket, you’d expect that they’d be up and about,” he said.
The two of them have made a video that also went viral on social media as Siraj was batting in the second inning and was calmly chatting with Head, standing closeby, on the Day Three.
“It was an accident looking back at it now; that whole thing played out. I don’t think there was any malice at the start,” Ponting told ICC Review.
He added, “Then the way that it began-almost like a misinterpretation of what had actually gone on, I think led to how it ended.”
India pacer Siraj was then fined 20 per cent of his match fee and Head was reprimanded as both players also earned one demerit point each from the ICC recently.
Ponting insisted that the incident “wasn’t that major” and added that umpires are harsh on the bowler in such cases where the batter is given such a send-off.
“Look, it wasn’t that big a deal. I was in comms (commentary box) at the time. As soon as I saw the send-off, I actually got worried for Siraj,” he said.
“I know how umpires react to those things. Umpires and referees don’t like seeing the send-off, pointed in the direction of the dressing room.”
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