Mohammed Siraj vs Travis Head: Pat Cummins has had enough

A send-off, a reaction to a celebration, the happening is nothing new for cricket fans nor unknown to the players. The heated chatter, long stares, and body blows have long been the elements that make a Test match thrilling. However, what transpired in the second Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy in Adelaide has escalated to a point of concern. The debacle between Mohammed Siraj and Travis Head has engaged the entire cricket fraternity. While India ended the match with a 10-wicket defeat, the developments in the BGT are overshadowed by the debate over who truly lies at fault in the incident. Meanwhile, the players themselves have resorted to blame-shifting as they desperately try to fall into the morally right category.

The second Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy, a pink-ball fixture in Adelaide, served every ingredient for a thrilling contest between two leading teams. The match was dominated by the hosts as they displayed their mastery in the day-night format. However, the highlight of the match, which lasted barely over two days, has become the heated tussle between Mohammed Siraj and Travis Head. In fact, the incident and the subsequent discussion have eclipsed the duration of the Adelaide Test.

The opening innings of the match witnessed Mitchell Starc avenging the jibe that young Yashasvi Jaiswal had thrown at him in Perth. The Indian opener, who hit a century in Perth, instigated the seasoned seamer by throwing a "it's coming too slow" at him. Cut to Adelaide, and Starc trapped Jaiswal in an lbw on the very first delivery of the match. However, the banter, a regular part of Test cricket whenever India and Australia are involved, seemed to end right there. But it was not the end of the battle between the rivals, as the next innings saw the contest move from the game to a verbal spat.

"Well bowled," says Travis Head; "Liar" alleges Mohammed Siraj

Mohammed Siraj, known for his aggressive temper on the field, treated Travis Head to a heated send-off in the second innings. Travis Head, who had hit a splendid 140 off 141 balls, curbed India’s chances of a win in Adelaide, when Siraj bowled him out with a near-perfect yorker. Head had dented the Indian campaign significantly, and his wicket arrived after a long struggle, as depicted by Siraj’s passionate celebration. However, Siraj’s send-off didn’t sit well with Travis Head, who threw some expletives into the mix.

At the end of the day’s play, as Head joined a conversation following his ton on Day 2, the Aussie mentioned his standoff with Mohammed Siraj. Travis Head cleared his part of the involvement as he specified that he said “well bowled” to the Indian. According to Head, Siraj misunderstood the conversation and reacted angrily, to which Head responded heatedly. Head’s explanation was followed by a snarky jibe at the visitors as he noted that, "If they want to react like that, if that's how they want to represent themselves, then so be it."

However, it was just a player’s take against another player. When Mohammed Siraj got the chance to clear the air, the seamer denied Head's version of the tale. The Indian seamer seemed sure that "well bowled" was never part of the conversation with Head on the field. The Indian claimed that it was the Aussie who abused first, prompting a retaliation.

"When you get hit for a six on a good ball, it fires you up differently. And when I got him bowled, I only celebrated, and he abused me, and you saw that on TV, too," he said. "I only celebrated at the start; I didn't say anything to him. What he said in the press conference wasn't right, it's a lie that he only said 'well bowled' to me. It's there for everyone to see that that's not what he said to me. We respect everyone; it's not like we disrespect other players. I respect everybody because cricket is a gentleman's game, but what he did wasn't right. I didn't like it at all,” Siraj added.

Nonetheless, with the debacle discussed all around the fraternity, Pat Cummins seemed disinterested in fueling the debate further. The winning captain of the evening, Cummins, was asked to react to Siraj’s claims. However, taking no sides and presenting no explanation, Cummins was quick to shut down the query.

"I reckon we've spoken enough about that," said Cummins when informed that Mohammed Siraj had alleged that Travis Head was lying.