Tempers flare! Mohammed Siraj loses cool, Harry Brook fires back; tension boils over at Headingley

Mohammed Siraj (Getty Images)

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NEW DELHI: Tensions flared at Headingley on Sunday, June 22, as Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj and England’s Harry Brook were involved in a heated on-field exchange during the first Test. The incident unfolded in the 84th over, after Brook smashed two consecutive boundaries off Siraj, prompting the Indian bowler to respond with a fiery spell — and some sharp words.Brook, playing with intent against the second new ball, punished the Indian bowlers who were struggling to extract movement from the pitch. Siraj, in particular, bore the brunt of Brook’s aggressive strokeplay.In response, Siraj delivered a sharp inswinger that troubled Brook and followed it up with a long stare and some verbal aggression. Brook, unfazed, dismissed the confrontation with a wave of his hand and stayed focused on his attacking approach.The England batter had the final say — at least temporarily — when he tore into the next over, hammering 18 runs, including a towering six over long-on, as Siraj searched unsuccessfully for answers.Siraj’s overall outing with the ball has been underwhelming in this innings. His only wicket came in the 65th over, when he dismissed England skipper Ben Stokes. His first spell with the new ball on Day 2 lacked consistency, and Sunday’s incident added further frustration to his figures.This isn’t the first time Siraj has found himself in the middle of on-field altercations. During the 2024–25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, he had similar confrontations with Marnus Labuschagne and Travis Head, incidents that drew fines from the ICC.As for Brook, he continued to dominate, marching into the nineties with a flurry of well-timed strokes. He moved to 99 with a couple off Prasidh Krishna in the 88th over. However, his bid for a home-ground century came to a heartbreaking end just three balls later. Attempting a pull shot, he mistimed it, and Shardul Thakur took a slightly awkward but successful catch at fine leg, denying Brook a ton at Leeds.England’s innings ended at 465, giving them a narrow six-run lead over India heading into the second innings of this gripping Test match.

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