Will Mohammed Siraj be banned from ENG vs IND 4th Test?

India speedster Mohammed Siraj has landed in fresh controversy following his ugly on-field send-off to Ben Duckett on day four of the Lord's Test. In a test match that has been engulfed in endless drama, Siraj allowed his feelings to get the better of him, and as a result, the International Cricket Council (ICC) were quick to sanction him on monetary as well as disciplinary grounds. 

See also: Star India pacer fined for Code of Conduct Breach after Day 4 Lord's Test incident

The flashpoint was observed during the early hours of day four. After being previously outplayed by Duckett in the earlier overs, Siraj had his adrenaline levels up. In an effort to bounce him over, Siraj dragged his length short, inviting Duckett to go over the top. Fortunately for India, Duckett had completed miscued it straight down the throat of the mid on fielder, giving India their maiden breakthrough. 

As expected, Siraj went berserk and started celebrating aggressively, and ran past Duckett, who had initially turned to walk back to the pavilion. This triggered a response from Duckett and caused Siraj to make shoulder contact. Following the incident, Siraj was reprimanded by the governing body and was fined 15% of his match fees. In addition, one more demerit point has been added to his name, taking the tally to two. 

So will Siraj be banned? 

According to Article 2.5 of the ICC Code of Conduct, which pertains to on-field gestures that trigger an angry response from the dismissed batter, a player gets fined on monetary grounds based on the severity of the offence and is also handed a demerit point. At present, Siraj has two demerit points under his name. The Hyderabad-born speedster received his first demerit point in the BGT Tour in 2024, where he was embroiled in a heated exchange with Travis Head.

The demerit points remain in the record for 24 months, and if a player receives four or more points, then that could result in suspension points or worst case, a player facing a ban for a certain period. For the time being, Siraj is safe at two demerit points, but he will certainly have to keep hold of his emotions, especially in high-voltage moments. Any further offence of a similar kind from him will certainly raise eyebrows, and India simply can't afford to let go of him in this ongoing Test tour.