Mohammed Siraj has lost 15% of his match fee and collected a demerit point for the way he celebrated Ben Duckett’s dismissal on the fourth morning at Lord’s. The sanction, confirmed late on Monday, leaves the India quick on two demerit points inside 24 months – half-way to an automatic suspension.
The incident itself was clear for anyone watching: Duckett pulled a short ball and picked out mid-on; Siraj turned, let out a couple of roars, strode towards the departing batter and the pair brushed shoulders. The ICC’s brief note spelled it out: “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”. That wording links the offence to Article 2.5 of the players’ code, the passage dealing with send-offs judged likely to provoke a reaction.
A 15% pay cut might not ruin a modern international, yet the second demerit point matters. Four such marks inside two years equal a one-Test ban, so any further mis-step from Siraj – over-exuberant send-off, loose word, whatever – will have the match referee’s calculator working overtime.
Context helps. Tempers had already spiked late on day three when Zak Crawley’s tidy method of fiddling with his gloves between balls was viewed by India as time-wasting. On Monday morning Duckett’s wicket felt like a release valve. England’s batting coach Marcus Trescothick offered a fairly measured take on BBC’s Test Match Special: “It’s just very competitive, isn’t it? There’s always lines that you’ve got to be wary not to cross, and I think both teams are very passionate about playing the game and winning. It’s a big series for everyone to be involved in. It’s understandable at times that tempers are going to get to boiling point, and things will be said, and things happen amongst the two teams. We’re comfortable with it. We give as much as we get. Those moments that happen, and people pick up on TV, it just adds for more people to come back and view the game.”
The match position remains delicately poised. India, chasing 278, still require 135 runs with six wickets standing. England need those wickets quickly to prevent the visitors moving 2-1 ahead in a five-Test series that has rarely cooled.
Mid-innings needle is hardly new at Lord’s and, in truth, Siraj’s celebration sits closer to pantomime than menace. Even so, the ICC has drawn its faint line; the bowler now knows exactly where it is.
