India’s Mohammed Siraj added fuel to an already fiery third Test clash at Lord’s on Sunday morning by unleashing a seething send-off towards England’s Ben Duckett.
In a moment that may yet draw the attention of the match referee, the pair clashed shoulders after Siraj dismissed Duckett for India’s first wicket of the day.
Siraj wheeled away in celebration, storming towards his opponent and roaring in his face before India’s fielders swarmed in to celebrate the breakthrough.
The bowler’s antics did not warrant a reaction from Duckett, who kept his head down and trudged off calmly, even appearing to let out a little smile.
While England’s opening batter seemed unbothered, former Three Lions captain Sir Alastair Cook pulled no punches in his verdict of the situation.
‘I have a feeling that’s going into the match referee’s office,’ Cook told BBC Sport. ‘I’m not sure screaming in someone’s face is something they can get away with.’
India bowler Mohammed Siraj roared at England batsman Ben Duckett after dismissing him
He appeared to brush shoulders with England’s opening batter in a moment that may yet draw the attention of the match referee
Duckett seemed unfazed by the incident, kept his head down and trudged off the field calmly
The episode adds yet another chapter to what has become a bad-tempered and gripping Test match, following Saturday evening’s spat between India captain Shubman Gill and Zak Crawley.
That incident – sparked by Crawley’s alleged time-wasting – saw Gill caught on the stump mic yelling, ‘Grow some f***ing balls,’ in Crawley’s direction.
Tim Southee, England’s coaching consultant welcomed the heated competitive spirit.
‘It’s always exciting to see both sides animated’ he said. ‘I’m not sure what they were complaining about when Shubman Gill was lying down getting a massage in the middle of the day (on day two).
‘It’s been a great series so far. Both sides have played good cricket and in a good spirit. This was just a bit of energy towards the end of a day after a long three days and it’s good to see the energy is still there for both sides.’
KL Rahul, who scored a century for India, admitted that he understood why Crawley would waste time.
‘It’s part of the game. As an opening batter, I can understand what happened in the last few minutes,’ said Rahul.
‘We wanted to bowl two overs. Two overs with six minutes left is a no-brainer. We were all pumped up because we know how difficult it is to bat then.
