ICC fines Mohammed Siraj, sanctions Travis Head for on-field actions in D/N Test match between AUS and IND

Mohammed Siraj and Travis Head's on-field incident sparked many controversies, and finally, the International Cricket Council (ICC) stepped in to take proper action against the players. However, the actions didn't seem fair as Siraj received a 20% fine while Head was only sanctioned for his verbal abuse. Siraj also received one demerit point from ICC. 

"Siraj has been penalized 20% of his match fee after being found guilty of breaching article 2.5 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel which relates to using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon dismissal."

Head, who was batting on 140 runs was dismissed by Siraj and the bowler started celebrating. However, Head turned his back to give a mouthful to Siraj, and then the heated send-off took place on the bowler's end. For his verbal abuse, Head was sanctioned and received one demerit point. 

"Head too was sanctioned for breaching Article 2.13 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to the 'abuse of a player, player support personnel, umpire or match referee during an international match. Siraj and Head received one demerit point each on their disciplinary records, marking their first offense within the last 24 months," said ICC in a statement. 

How are 'demerit points' calculated?

Travis Head and Mohammed Siraj received one demerit point after their on-field incident at the Adelaide Oval, Adelaide. They received the demerit points after 24 points and, hence, got saved from suspension from one game. Both committed a level 1 offense, because of which they received just one demerit point. However, a player who commits a level 2 offense gets 3-4 demerit points and is banned from 1 Test or 2 T20I/ODI games. Meanwhile, a person who commits a level 3 offense receives only 5-6 points.

The real punishment comes when a person commits a level 4 offense, receiving 7-8 points and getting banned from 2 Test or 4 T20I/ODI games. Well, the player doesn't necessarily have to get all the points in the same match, and the accumulated points can also lead to suspension. The on-field umpires report the offenses, and then the match referee will take the ultimate decision. Both players will have to be careful in the upcoming games to not collect more points and put themselves through suspension.