‘I was worried for Mohammed Siraj’ – Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting reveals his reaction to altercation in Adelaide

Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting has given his two cents on the massive Mohammed Siraj vs. Travis Head controversy. The Indian pacer gave the batter a sendoff, for which he copped a 20% fine. There have been lots of debates on the issue, with many slamming the Indian pacer for his actions. 

Ricky Ponting, while speaking to the ICC, said, “It was not a big deal, and I saw it from the commentary box. I was worried about Mohammed Siraj, as the umpires and referees don’t like bowlers giving these kinds of send-offs to batters by pointing in the direction of the dressing room.”

Travis Head, after the end of play, said that he complimented Siraj for bowling well. Siraj, on the other hand, while speaking to Harbhajan Singh on Star Sports, said that the Aussie batter wasn’t being entirely honest. Both players seemed to have made up at the end of the game with a warm hug. 

Ricky Ponting terms incident ‘accidental’ 

Further speaking to the ICC, Ricky Ponting said, “The entire episode was accidental, and the players involved resolved their differences. I know Travis Head said well bowled to Siraj, who was not happy after being hit for boundaries. Rohit Sharma would expect his bowlers to react like that. When bowlers are hit by any batter, they don’t like it.”

The Australian legend also mentioned, “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 happened out there. They were talking amongst themselves about what actually happened. Both players have now had their say on what they thought happened.”

Jeff Thomson has urged the home team to go harder at India after the battle between Siraj and Head in Adelaide. The former Aussie pace legend was quoted by The Telegraph as saying, “I would rather see that than batsmen joking with bowlers. At least you know they are playing seriously. People who pay their money don't want to see them being mean. They want it full-on."

Yet another former Aussie star, Michael Kasprowicz, while speaking to the same newspaper, said, “I grew up watching Dennis Lillee show that emotion, and you don’t want to take that away from the game. To me, it didn’t seem like much at all. I know rules are rules, but at the same time the spectator has never been closer to the action, and they pick up everything. Just let them go. No one was hurt. No one was injured. I'm not saying carry on like a pork chop, but he was a young fast bowler celebrating a wicket."