‘As soon as I saw the send-off, I got worried’: Ponting has his say on Siraj vs Head heated exchange in Adelaide
Ricky Ponting said he was more worried for Mohammed Siraj as soon as the Indian pacer gave a send-off to Travis Head.
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting said neither Travis Head nor Mohammed Siraj had any malice in their heart when their heated on-field interaction took place on Day 2 of the India vs Australia day-night Test at the Adelaide Oval. Siraj gave Head a fiery send-off after dismissing the left-hander for 140 in Australia's first innings. Both players had their versions to share, which did not exactly match and after looking into the incident, the ICC sanctioned Head and Siraj with fines and a demerit point each.
“Looking back at it now, I think it was accidental the way that whole thing played out,” Ponting told ICC. "I don't think there was any malice meant at the start. “Then the way it started and almost like the misinterpretation of what had actually gone on, I think led to how it ended.”
“I know Travis has gone and said that he said ‘well bowled’ at the start,” Ponting said. “Siraj obviously wasn't happy about being hit over the deep backward square for six the ball before. Rohit (Sharma) I'm sure would expect these fast bowlers to react like that. When they're under the pressure and they're getting hit and then they've just got a wicket you'd expect that they'd be up and about. Look, it wasn't that big a deal,” he added.
Ponting was worried for Siraj
Ponting said he was more worried for Siraj as soon as the Indian pacer gave a send-off to Head. The legendary cricketer said he knew the umpires and match referees take these kinds of send-off seriously. Siraj was also booed heavily by the Adelaide crowd whenever he was on the boundary.
“I was in comms (commentary box) at the time. As soon as I saw the send-off, I actually got worried for Siraj. I know how the umpires react to those things. Umpires and referees don't like seeing the send-off, pointed in the direction of the dressing room.”
When Siraj came out to bat on Day 3, Head, who was standing at forward short leg had a chat with him to clear things out. The duo even shared a handshake and embraced each other after Australia won the Test later in the day.
“Both players have now had their say on what they thought happened,” Ponting said. It was great to see them actually chatting. When Siraj came out to bat and Travis was at short leg, they were actually clarifying what had happened out there. They were talking amongst themselves as to what had actually happened," Ponting said.
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