Siraj escapes without fine: Inconsistency by match officials gets flak

Indian fast bowler Mohammed Siraj is known for his aggressive approach on the field, and during the 1st Test against South Africa in Centurion, the 27-year-old had slightly overstepped in that pursuit. When Temba Bavuma defended one of his deliveries straight to the bowler on Day five of the Test match, the fast bowler aggressively threw it back to the batter, and it hit Bavuma’s toe.

Temba Bavuma was left uncomfortable for a good five minutes, with the physios intervening to help the batter recover. Although Siraj went over and apologized to the batter a couple of times, commentators Mike Haysman and Sunil Gavaskar reprimanded the bowler for his behavior. His actions were called “unnecessary” as the batter was not trying to take a run.

It seemed almost clear that the fast bowler will be left with a match-fee fine and a demerit point to his credit, but as it turns out, he escaped without any of it. This came as a massive surprise for a lot of fans on social media, who highlighted plenty of such instances of a similar kind, where the bowler was at the receiving end of retribution.

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Here’s what happened between Siraj and Bavuma

Highlighting a very similar incident from the past,  journalist Saj Sadiq reminisced of the incident when Shaheen Shah Afridi had done the same thing and was fined 15% of his match fee. He mentioned that the “Inconsistency among match officials continues” and a lot of fans rallied around to criticize ICC for the same.

Shaheen Afridi, shortly after his incredible work in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021, was caught in a similar mix-up during the second T20I against Bangladesh. He threw the ball straight at Afif Hossain, who hit him for a six the previous ball, leaving the batter on the field in tatters. His throw hit just behind his ankle, an area unprotected by the pads.

India pulled off a comprehensive victory in Centurion, which was the first instance of an Asian side winning a Test match in that ground. The Proteas managed to drag it to the final day, but couldn’t help themselves get anything out of it. KL Rahul was adjudged player of the match for his heroics with the willow, whilst Mohammed Shami returned with 8 wickets in the game.