ENG vs IND 3rd Test: Siraj vs Duckett controversy after Crawley-Gill fight

Siraj and Duckett bumped their shoulders after the Indian pacer got the wicket of the English opener on Day 4 morning. The umpire had a chat with Siraj and Gill after the on-field altercation

The third Test between India and England is coming up with new on-field altercation at the Lords Cricket Ground in London. After Gill vs Crawley fight on final minutes of Day 3 (Saturday), the Day 4 morning saw a controversial shoulder bump between England opener Ben Duckett and India pacer Mohammed Siraj.  Check England vs India 3rd Test Live score, full scorecard and match updates here

 

Siraj strikes, Duckett departs 

In the sixth over, Ben Duckett attempted a cheeky ramp shot over the keeper. Spotting the intent, Mohammed Siraj pushed square leg back—clearly setting up the short ball. And he delivered just that. Duckett went for the pull, but the ball skidded through quicker than expected. He mistimed it badly, sending it straight into the hands of mid-on. Siraj, fired up, gave Duckett a stare and a loud "come on" as England slipped to 22 for 1.   The replays further showed that Siraj went very near to Duckett while celebrating the wicket and the English opener too moved towards the India pacer. Duckett and Siraj ended up bumping their shouldes as the former went towards pavillion.  On air, former England captain Nasser Hussain said that it was actually Duckett who moved towards Siraj. He also added that match referee Richard Richardson might take a look into the incident and could call the players after the end of day's play.     

What happened in morning session on Day 4 of Lords Test

 

Mohammed Siraj struck twice in the morning session, trapping Ollie Pope lbw. The on-field decision was not out, but India reviewed successfully. The delivery—a wobble-seam ball pitched around fourth stump—nipped back in from a good length and struck Pope on the front pad. Ball-tracking showed it hitting the top of middle stump, overturning the call. Pope departed for 4, and Siraj now has 2 for 10 from six overs.     

Bumrah rattles Crawley early, but chance goes begging 

Zak Crawley may have exaggerated his discomfort against Jasprit Bumrah the previous evening, but the Indian pacer gave him something to think about with the final delivery of his first over on Day 4. The ball rose sharply from a length, struck Crawley high on the glove, and lobbed up agonisingly close to Bumrah, who made a desperate dive but couldn't reach it. England moved to 11 for no loss after three overs. 

Siraj shares new ball duties at Pavilion End

  Mohammed Siraj opened the bowling from the Pavilion End after a previous rotation with Akash Deep in the first innings. While Akash’s inclusion made sense due to his seam-friendly style suiting the new ball, Siraj’s ability to swing and seam the Dukes ball remains valuable—especially from overs 11 to 30, when the ball is known to swing more than in the initial ten.

 

India burn a review early 

In the third over of the morning, Siraj produced a sharp wobble-seam delivery that narrowly missed Zak Crawley’s inside edge. Umpire Paul Reiffel turned down the appeal, but Shubman Gill opted for the review. While the ball had pitched marginally close to off stump, it was missing leg according to the replays. A wasted review for India; England remained steady at 9 for 0.

 

Tactical ends: Bumrah gets bounce, Siraj gets slope

  Jasprit Bumrah bowled from the Nursery End, which has consistently offered not just extra bounce but also some unpredictable lift. The slope from this end runs from leg to off for a right-hander, aiding seam movement. Siraj, from the Pavilion End, had the slope working the other way—off to leg—which possibly contributed to deliveries sliding down the leg side.