Play halted after more abuse of Siraj

SYDNEY: Another alleged incident of verbal abuse directed at Mohammed Siraj resulted in play stopping for more than eight minutes on day four of the SCG test yesterday.

India captain Ajinkya Rahane raised concerns with umpires after stumps on Saturday, alleging members of the crowd had been racially abusing Siraj and other players.

That prompted more than 20 minutes of meetings involving Indian players, coaching staff and ICC officials.

There was further incident yesterday, although there is no suggestion that it was related or racial in nature.

Play was halted late in the postlunch session as Rahane and a visibly upset Siraj alerted umpires about an alleged incident in the grandstands.

Umpires Paul Reiffel and Paul Wilson had a long debrief with Indian players then spoke with ground staff, trying to get to the bottom of who was responsible for the comments directed at boundary fielder Siraj.

A group of India’s players also walked towards the boundaries while Australia’s captain Tim Paine, who was batting at the time, joined India’s team huddle

Police locked on to at least seven fans who left their seats and walked out of the stands alongside the two officers.

Another person was shown to be running away from the group.

Cricket Australia later confirmed the group had been removed from the ground and police were investigating.

The latest incident came as CA vowed to come down hard on any supporters who vilify and/or harass players following Saturday’s complaints.

‘‘Cricket Australia condemns in the strongest terms possible all discriminatory behaviour,’’ Cricket Australia’s head of integrity and security Sean Carroll said.

‘‘If you engage in racist abuse, you are not welcome in Australian cricket.

‘‘CA is awaiting the outcome of the International Cricket Council’s investigation into the matter reported at the SCG on Saturday.

‘‘Once those responsible are identified, CA will take the strongest measures possible under our antiharassment code.

‘‘Including lengthy bans, further sanctions and referral to NSW Police.

‘‘As series hosts, we unreservedly apologise to our friends in the Indian cricket team and assure them we will prosecute the matter to its fullest extent.’’

The SCG is using CCTV footage to help investigate the alleged verbal abuse.

‘‘At the SCG, we pride ourselves on welcoming anyone and everyone in a safe and inclusive environment,’’ Venues NSW chief executive Kerrie Mather said.

‘‘We are taking this extremely seriously. If those involved are identified, they will be banned from the SCG and all Venues NSW properties.’’

Rahane and other senior players spoke to the umpires at the end of Saturday’s play after quicks Jasprit Bumrah and Siraj complained of hearing racist slurs while fielding near the boundary.

‘‘We’ve come to know about the issue,’’ BCCI vicepresident Rajeev Shukla told Indian news agency ANI overnight.

‘‘Cricket is a gentleman’s game and these kinds of things are not allowed or accepted.’’ — Reuters

❛ If you engage in racist abuse, you are not welcome in Australian cricket