The rise of franchised tournaments means players from around the world are much closer friends now than they ever have been before.

Where once players from different countries might have only seen each other every other year or so, players now not only see each other on the field every year – if not more often – but spend time sharing hotels, buses and no doubt a beverage or two.

So it’s refreshing then to have when there appears to be a genuine rivalry forming between Travis Head and Mohammed Siraj.

Sport needs villains and rivalries. It can grow stale without them. Crowds love to loathe.

With his spray at Head in front of his home crowd, Siraj anointed himself as the villain of this Border-Gavaskar series.

We got a taste on day one when the Indian quick pelted the pink ball at Marnus Labuschagne after he backed away last moment when a bloke carrying an impressive beer snake wandered behind the sightscreen.

Marnus has been guilty of backing away in the past or refusing to take guard altogether if there was even a remote distraction in the same postcode as the bowler. This was not one of those moments.

The crowd jeered Siraj then, unaware of what would come a day later. And the man himself could’ve avoided it.

Head was on 76 when Siraj dropped an admittedly difficult catch. The ball went high, and Siraj had work to do to get there. Fast bowlers aren’t generally regarded as the most athletic of fielders, and the chance was grassed.

But the crowd responded appropriately.

An hour or so later, Siraj finally got his man. But by then, that dropped catch had cost his side 64 runs and Head was a run-a-ball 140.

Given all that, Siraj’s send-off made as much sense as heading to your local shopping centre on a December Saturday for some peace and quiet.

He looked like a bit of a goose, and it might well be the turning point in the Test and the series.

Mitchell Starc’s boundary from very next ball was a statement.

In the press conference later, Head said this particular blow-up had come out of the blue, but seemed to suggest – without naming names – it wasn’t the first time Siraj’s antics had left a sour taste.

“I was surprised at the reaction in terms of the situation of the game and the lead-up,” he said.

“There was no confrontation leading up, and I felt like it was probably a little bit far. That’s why I’m disappointed in the reaction that I gave back.

“There’s been conversations I’ve had, (and) I’ll leave those conversations that I’ve had with the individuals around that,” he said.

“I’ve had conversations with guys this series about that. I feel like you can play hard and play fair, but obviously when you’re out, (you) can’t do much about it.

“I’m disappointed with the reaction I had after that, but certainly I stand up for myself.”

Sport needs a villain, and as Australia looks to square the series tonight, Mohammed Siraj is the man.