Last Updated: June 20, 2023, 21:11 IST
Harbhajan Singh (left) and Moeen Ali (IG/AP)
Moeen Ali was fined for using a spray on his bowling finger without informing the umpire on return to Test cricket
England allrounder Moeen Ali applying spray on his bowling finger on the second day of the first Test against Australia resulted in a financial penalty from the ICC. On his return to Test cricket, Moeen had to cough up 25 per cent of his match fee apart from being handed over a demerit point due to the offense.
The penalty didn’t go down well with former Australia spinner Brad Hogg who criticised ICC for their decision.
Now, legendary India spinner Harbhajan Singh has added his voice to the issue saying Moeen using spray to numb the pain on his finger has been blown out of proportion and if the same had been done by a batter, nobody would have even taken a note of it.
Moeen, playing in his first red-ball game in nearly two years, used the spray to deal with the blister that had developed on his finger thanks to bowling for a long period.
Harbhajan though added that the Englishman could have informed the umpire though.
“Don’t understand so much chatter around Moeen Ali using spray on spinning fingers to numb the pain,” Harbhajan tweeted on Tuesday. “Only issue is he should have informed the umpires, but if batsman gets a blister under the gloves, and he gets a spray. Will anyone even notice. Same logic, think about it ?”
Don’t understand so much chatter around Moen Ali using spray on spinning fingers to numb the pain. Only issue is he should have informed the umpires, but if batsman gets a blister under the gloves, and he gets a spray. Will anyone even notice. Same logic, think about it ?…— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) June 20, 2023
Moeen admitted to the offense and accepted the sanction.
Earlier this year, during the Border Gavaskar Trophy, India allrounder Ravindra Jadeja was also penalised for using a ‘soothing cream’ on his index finger.
Commenting on the fine on Moeen, Hogg had said the spinner could’ve disguised the spray but did it openly meaning there was no malicious intent.
“25 per cent fine for this is a bit of ‘overspin’ on the issue when you know Moeen was not using it for any other purpose than to prevent his blister getting worse! He could have left the ground repeatedly disguising the spray but did it openly. Fair play given the finger!” Hogg had tweeted.
