At Lord’s, Mohammed Siraj was fined for how he sent off Ben Duckett. Michael Atherton, former England captain, said the match referee Richie Richardson was right not to fine Siraj for bumping into Duckett as it seemed unintentional.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) said Siraj will lose 15% of his match fee for his aggressive celebration towards Duckett after getting him out on Sunday. Siraj also got a demerit point; this is his second offence, after the incident with Travis Head in December 2024.
Atherton said on Sky Sports that physical confrontations are not okay and should be addressed. He mentioned an instance where Virat Kohli intentionally bumped into Sam Konstas. He believes Siraj’s contact with Duckett was accidental as Siraj tried to get out of the way. The referee only penalised Siraj for his behaviour. Atherton thought the penalty was enough and move on.
Atherton said there is a limit. Physical confrontations shouldn’t happen. When Virat Kohli goes out of his way to give Sam Konstas a shoulder charge, that’s not okay. Siraj tried to move and Duckett brushed him as he was walking off. The match referee didn’t take any action on the shoulder barge as Siraj was in Duckett’s face. In Atherton’s opinion, it wasn’t a big deal.
Atherton said he enjoys the spirited play and celebrations between the teams because it makes it more exciting. He likes players who are passionate when playing for their country.
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Stuart Broad, former England fast bowler, was critical of the ICC’s penalty on Siraj. He wondered why Shubman Gill was only fined for swearing at Zak Crawley. Broad said the penalties should be consistent. He said players shouldn’t be treated like robots and either both players should be fined or neither.
Broad posted on X that it was ridiculous. Siraj got 15% for his celebration. Gill swears on TV and gets away with it. It should be both or neither. Players shouldn’t be robots, but consistency is key.
