London, July 14: Former England captain Michael Atherton has defended Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj following the send-off incident involving England opener Ben Duckett during the ongoing third Test at Lord’s.
Atherton said the minor shoulder contact between the two players was entirely accidental and the match referee was right not to impose any additional sanctions beyond the fine for excessive celebration.
“There’s a line, and no one wants to see physical altercations,” said Atherton, referencing past incidents. “When Virat Kohli deliberately veered into Sam Konstas for a shoulder charge earlier this year, that crossed the line and needed to be dealt with. But this? Yesterday, it was nothing of that sort. Siraj clearly tried to move away, and Duckett brushed past him on his way back. It was minor, accidental, and rightly not treated as a separate offence.” (IANS)
