BGT 2024-25: 'Every series needs a villain and Siraj is now that villain', opines Clarke

New Delhi, Dec 9 (IANS) Former Australian captain Michael Clarke said India fast bowler Mohammed Siraj should be fined for his habit of celebrating wickets without appealing to the umpires for lbw dismissals, and expressed surprise over the ICC not sanctioning him for this.

Siraj has been in headlines for his send-off clash with Travis Head after dismissing him for 140 in Adelaide. Clarke’s comments point towards the instance of Siraj 'celebrappeal' for an lbw against Marnus Labuschagne without looking at the umpire, only for replays to show a big inside edge.

"Siraj should be fined for keeping on appealing for LBWs and not asking the umpire. He hits the batter on the pads and just runs down like they’re out. I’m surprised the ICC haven't fined him because I remember when I was playing, you get fined every time.

"Brett Lee was the worst at it and they told him, 'If you don’t turn around and ask the umpire, you’re going to be fined’. I’m more worried about that from Siraj than him and Travis Head. Siraj did it in the first Test as well.

"You’re OK to appeal for anything you want, but you’ve got to turn around and ask the umpire. I’m actually surprised he hasn’t been fined. Him giving Travis Head a send-off as well, made a fool of him. The guy just made 140; give someone a send-off that makes five, not 140," said Clarke on the Big Sports Breakfast show on Monday.

Former Australia fast-bowler Stuart Clark agreed with Clarke’s views, saying this habit of Siraj is a bigger issue than his exchange of words with Head. "That, I think, is far worse than what happened in the (Head) incident. And that came up and got discussed numerous times, that you can’t do that.

"The umpires are quite clear, and so are the rules, that you have to turn around and show respect to be asking the umpire whether it’s out. It didn’t look great, he ran down the wicket, carried on, ‘that’s out’ … then when they showed the replay, he’d inside-edged it on to his pad. If I was a match referee or an official, I’d be sort of saying, ‘Mate, that’s got to stop, because that doesn’t look great and that puts so much pressure on the umpire, in an inappropriate way'," said Clarke.

With various reports in Australian media saying Head and Siraj will face ICC sanctions for breaching the code of conduct, Clarke stated he had no major problem with the clash between the duo, though he feels the incident has made Siraj the villain in the eyes of Australian public for the rest of the series.

After the clash with Head, Siraj had been subjected to boos from the Adelaide Oval crowd whenever he came to bowl or bat in the pink-ball Test. "I hope it’s play on. They will get a naughty-boy smack on the wrist, we all hope. I'm sure they’ll get a fine, which they’ll probably pay with the pocket change that they’ve got, and then I hope it gets on.

"It didn't look great... but there was a lot of confusion about what was said. Mohammed Siraj thought one thing, waves his arms, Travis Head was saying one thing. To be fair, in the ground, it added to the theatre of the day.

"Every series needs a villain -- Mohammed Siraj is now that villain and I think it will add great spice to the series come Brisbane, where when he walks out to bat and when he comes out to bowl, it will be on for young and old; in a good confrontational way. I’d be disappointed if they were rubbed out of the game, that’d disappoint everyone, I think," said Clarke.