'Siraj should be fined for unsportsmanlike behavior': Ex-Australia captain 'surprised' by ICC not charging fiery pacer, 'When I was playing...'

Former Australia captain Michael Clarke has called for the International Cricket Council (ICC) to take action against India fast bowler Mohammed Siraj. However, Clarke's request is not related to Siraj's altercation with Travis Head during Day 2 of the Adelaide Test, which Australia ultimately won by ten wickets. Siraj is currently embroiled in a different controversy that has caught the attention of the cricket world.

However, Michael Clarke has taken offence to Siraj's celebrappeals during the Adelaide Test. The 2015 World Cup-winning captain said that the Indian pacer who made his Test debut Down Under during the 2020-21 tour, keeps on disrespecting umpires as he does not even bother to turn around and appeal for LBW decisions.

During the Adelaide Test, Siraj was certain that Marnus Labuschagne was out LBW and hence he did not even bother to look back and appeal. He ran down the wicket with his arms in the air. However, replays clearly showed that there was an inside edge and even Rohit Sharma did not opt for a review when the on-field official deemed it not out.

"Siraj should be fined for keeping on appealing for lbw and not asking the umpire,” Clarke said on radio. “He hits the batter on the pads and just runs down like they’re out," he stated further.

Clarke also said that it is surprising to see ICC not fining Siraj. The former Australia captain said that he is more worried about Siraj when it comes to celebrating rather than his on-field incident with Head.

"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, ‘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," said Clarke.

Former Australia pacer Stuart Clark is also in full agreement with Michael Clarke, saying Siraj needs to stop with his celebrappeals as he needs to show respect towards the on-field officials.

“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," said Stuart Clark.

"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 onto 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’," he added.

Mohammed Siraj is being criticised by certain section of fans for two acts in Adelaide. First, the pacer received backlash after he threw the ball back at the stumps after Marnus Labuschagne pulled away late in his run-up.

Later, the Indian pacer gave a send-off to Adelaide's hometown hero Travis Head after he bowled him through the gate. Head had already smashed 140 runs by then. Words were then exchanged between Siraj and Head.