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'I Was Worried For Siraj,' Ponting Opens Up On India Pacer's Verbal Spat With Travis Head

Soumyajit Dutta

Ponting Backs Siraj for Adelaide spat [Source: @Gauravkheterpal/X.com]Ponting Backs Siraj for Adelaide spat [Source: @Gauravkheterpal/X.com]

Travis Head and Mohammed Siraj's infamous spat in Adelaide is the talk of the town now. With several cricket experts weighing in on the feud, Australia's cricket legend Ricky Ponting also shared his thoughts on the matter.

The legendary batter shared how things got heated up and took the wrong turns as cricket fans and the Adelaide crowd misinterpreted the situation in the wrong way.

Ponting Calls Head-Siraj Feud 'Misinterpretation'

During the 82nd over of Australia’s first innings in Adelaide, Head was dismissed by Mohammed Siraj's magnificent delivery. Frustrated with himself, Head was seen making gestures as Siraj approached him aggressively to celebrate his wicket. This reaction from Head seemed to trigger Siraj, who waved his hands, directing towards the pavilion.

The crowd in Adelaide did not react well to this, booing Siraj for what they perceived as a lack of sportsmanship. However, Ricky Ponting, who was in the commentary box at the time, offered his perspective on the incident during a recent episode of The ICC Review.

"Looking back at it now, I think it was accidental the way that whole thing played out. 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," Ponting said to host Sanjana Ganesan.

Ponting supported Siraj, explaining that aggressive pace bowlers often celebrate intensely, and this natural reaction should not be taken as offensive.

"I know Travis has gone and said that he said ‘well bowled’ at the start. 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," Ponting added.

Ponting Was Worried About Siraj

Ponting further shared that he was worried about Siraj when he was in the commentary box, as umpires and match referees do not like such aggressive send-offs.

"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," Ponting added.

As Head and Siraj later shook hands over the matter and shared a hug, Ponting stated conclusively that the matured players must have discussed the 'misinterpretation' and have moved on.

"Both players have now had their say on what they thought happened. 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," Ponting concluded.

Because of the misconduct, Siraj and Head were both handed demerit points, and the former got slapped with a 20% match fee fine. However, Siraj appeared to be nonchalant about the fine as he was preparing for the Gabba Test, which will begin on December 14.