Naseer Hussain Defends Mohammed Siraj Says ‘Aggression Isn’t A Crime’

After Mohammed Siraj, the fast bowler for India, was fined by the ICC for his flamboyant celebration during the Lord’s Test match against England, former England captain Nasser Hussain vehemently backed him. Hussain claimed that Siraj plays better when he is motivated, and as Test cricket is an emotional sport, it requires this mindset.

Some English fans were offended by Siraj and Ben Duckett’s slight shoulder contact during the contentious time. The ICC described the Indian bowler’s violent celebration as “provocative.” They asserted that it might have caused a batter to react aggressively. He received one demerit point and a 15% match fee fine for breaking the code of conduct.

Naseer’s view on ICC fine

But according to former England captain Nasser Hussain, Siraj shouldn’t have been fined because the event wasn’t serious. He claimed in a Sky Sports podcast that emotions play a role in the game and that having passionate players is preferable to having emotionless ones.

“Siraj was angry. I believe that when he’s revved up, he plays cricket better. Siraj on your side would be wonderful. In my opinion, he shouldn’t have received a fine.  He didn’t yell at Duckett; instead, he almost over the boundary and was directly in his face. Duckett, if anything, left the pitch in that direction. There was no shoulder barge. You don’t need twenty-two robots, in my opinion; it’s a game of emotions. I enjoy the strain,” Hussain remarked.

There were some anxious moments in the Lord’s test.  The Indian camp became agitated on Day 3 as England’s openers took their time bringing the carpet to the pitch. For the remainder of the game, tensions were high due to a heated argument between captain Shubman Gill and Zak Crawley.  When India batted, Ben Stokes too displayed some anger. Only Siraj was subject to official sanction, despite the fact that players like Gill used profanity and even made an offensive gesture.

Another fine and Ban

The ICC fined and penalised India pacer Mohammed Siraj for his furious farewell to Ben Duckett, putting him within two demerit points away from punishment.  This most recent violation adds to a previous demerit point from a 2024 incident involving Travis Head of Australia. Four demerit points within two years result in a ban, under ICC regulations. Now, Siraj has to be careful since he can miss an important Test or limited-overs match if he commits another infraction.

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