Mohammad Siraj put on a fiery and theatrical performance across the first three Tests against Australia. From near fights with Marnus Labuschagne to exaggerated celebrations and ball-throwing tantrums, Siraj stayed at the center of the drama. Early on, he tried kicking the ball into the stumps to catch Marnus out, kicking off a pattern of edgy clashes that ran through all three matches. In Adelaide, things got weirder when Siraj hurled a ball at Marnus mid-innings, annoyed by a delay caused by a massive beer snake in the crowd—a moment that had players and fans laughing but also broke the bowler’s focus.
The tension didn’t stop there. In the third Test, Siraj tried a bit of low-stakes gamesmanship by switching the bails before a delivery. Marnus quietly switched them back, but Siraj never noticed and walked away thinking he’d messed with his opponent’s mindset. He also ran into trouble for premature celebration appeals. Umpires reminded him to appeal first and celebrate after. At one point, a towel fell out of his waistband during a delivery, prompting confusion and laughs but also a call for a redo.
His most viral moment came against Travis Head, who entered and immediately struggled but quickly turned the tables. After surviving early movement from Siraj, Head scored rapidly, flipping the narrative with aggressive shot-making. Siraj, frustrated, bowled a furious delivery and finally dismissed him, sending him off with some choice words. Head walked off to a huge ovation, having scored 140 and tilted the game Australia’s way. Technically, the video wrapped with a look at Siraj’s use of the wobble seam—a newer tactic that adds unpredictability after the ball hits the pitch. Two nearly identical balls just missed the off stump of different batters, highlighting how subtle changes in spin can have major impacts.