Mohammed Siraj’s consistent disregard for umpires in the second Test was far worse that his fiery clash with Travis Head, said two Australian Test greats.

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Indian paceman Siraj has made a habit of celebrating wickets without appealing – comically at times, such as when he assumed that he had trapped Marnus Labuschagne LBW in Adelaide, only for replays to show a big inside edge.

Former Australian captain Michael Clarke said that ignoring the umpires was disrespectful, adding that he was surprised Siraj had not been sanctioned by the ICC.

“Siraj should be fined for keeping on appealing for LBWs and not asking the umpire,” Clarke said on the Big Sports Breakfast, musing that the quickie was instead set to be fined for a few heated words with Head.

“He hits the batter on the pads and just runs down like they’re out. 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, ‘If 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.

“Siraj did it in the first Test as well. You’re OK to appeal for anything you want but you’ve got to turn around and ask the umpire.

“I’m actually surprised he hasn’t been fined. Him giving Travis Head a send-off as well, more fool him. The guy just made 140; give someone a send-off that makes five, not 140.”

Former Aussie Test fast bowler Stuart Clark agreed that snubbing the umpires was a bigger issue.

“That, I think, is far worse than what happened in the [Head] incident,” he said on the Big Sports Breakfast.

“And that came up and got discussed numerous times, that you can’t do that. 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 on to 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’.”

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Clarke said he had no major problem with the Siraj v Head clash, though reckoned it had cemented the Indian firebrand as this summer’s villain.

“I hope it’s play on,” he said.

“They will get a naughty-boy smack on the wrist we all hope, I’m sure they’ll get a fine, which they’ll probably pay with the pocket change that they’ve got, and then I hope it gets on.

“It didn’t look great … but there was a lot of confusion about what was said. Mohammed Siraj thought one thing, waves his arms, Travis Head was saying one thing. To be fair, in the ground, it added to the theatre of the day. Every series needs a villain – Mohammed Siraj is now that villain and I think it will add great spice to the series come Brisbane, where when he walks out to bat and when he comes out to bowl, it will be on for young and old; in a good confrontational way. I’d be disappointed if they were rubbed out of the game, that’d disappoint everyone I think.”

TUBBY TELLS INDIA LEADERS TO CURB SIRAJ

Former Australian Test captain Mark Taylor has called for India’s senior players to pull Mohammed Siraj into line after saying the fiery fast bowler’s antics on day two of the second Test in Adelaide were “not a good look”.

Siraj finished the Australian innings with figures of 4/98 but it was his send off to Travis Head that was the big talking point from the day’s play.

The right-arm quick gave Head a mouthful when he bowled him for a brilliant 140.

Siraj could be seen telling India’s nemesis from the ODI World Cup Final and the World Test Championship Final to “get off” – among a few other words – while aggressively gesturing to the stands.

The Adelaide crowd had jeered Siraj earlier when he dropped a tough chance from Head, who was in the 70s at the time, and the incident automatically made him public enemy number one as the South Australians were not standing for someone treating their local hero in such fashion.

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He was booed for the remainder of the innings, along with extra loud cheers when one of his deliveries crashed into the fence, and Taylor believes Siraj is on a slippery slope towards a suspension unless he changes his behaviour.

“Mohammed Siraj, I don’t know exactly what happened between himself and Travis Head in his dismissal, but that’s not a good look. I don’t know who instigated it, but it’s not a good look, particularly when a guy makes 140,” Taylor said on the Willow Talk Podcast.

“I’d like to see someone have a little word to Mohammed Siraj. I like his competitive nature. He’s a fine bowler.

“But I’d like someone to have a word with him because I don’t like the fact that when he hits a guy on the pads, and he thinks he’s got him out lbw, he continues to run down the pitch, past the batsman, almost gets to the keeper and then looks around to the umpire to see if he’s going to give it out.

“That’s got to stop, and if it doesn’t stop shortly, someone, and it’ll be the umpires or the match referee who might stop it for him, and give him a game off. We don’t want that.

“Someone like a Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli needs to go up to him, and say ‘mate, yeah be excited, be aggressive, get in batsmen’s face, love all that, but that is disrespecting the game and the umpire’.”

In the same discussion, former Australian wicket-keeper Brad Haddin agreed with Taylor before suggesting that there are more fireworks to come when Siraj walks to the crease – likely at number 11 as he was in the first innings – in India’s second dig.

“It was a really bad look what he did to Travis Head, and it shouldn’t happen the send-off, but all of a sudden emotion became involved in the game,” Haddin said.

“Starc and ‘Cummo’ came out to bat, I thought, okay, it’s game on here. They’re a bit fired up. Not once did he go after them with a bouncer. He just put everything up.

“I think he was shocked with the reaction of the crowd. But I think what we’re going to see when he comes out to bat, these Australian quicks have got a long memory, it’s a long series, I think they’re going to go after him, and remind him about what happened.”

Fox Cricket’s Adam Gilchrist and Brett Lee were more reserved in their assessments of the send-off and Siraj’s behaviour on the field more broadly.

The former Australian greats agreed with one another that the responsibility sits with the umpires to handle that situation, and that the entire incident may have been a little overblown.

“Mohammed Siraj, he’s a feisty character. He led with great effect with the aggression. He was just frustrated more than anything,” Gilchrist said of the send-off.

“I think if he was to look back at that, to be giving a send off to a guy that’s really turned the Test match, that’s just a little word from the umpires and I’m not sure there’s too much more in it.”

Lee admitted that he was guilty of doing similar things during his career sending down thunderbolts, and was not too fussed by the exchange taking place.

“There’s nothing untoward there. I think the umpires make that call to say ‘just chill out a little bit’,” Lee said.

“The guy got 140, cops a spray, that wasn’t too bad.”