The heated verbal exchange between Travis Head and Mohammed Siraj lit up the Adelaide Oval in the recently concluded pink-ball Test which was handsomely won by Australia by 10 wickets. Tempers flared and words were exchanged the moment Siraj knocked Head over with an unplayable yorker. Head's blistering 140 powered Australia to a crushing win over India but the debate regarding their on-field altercation continues to rage on. 

Although, while speaking about his performance at the end of the day's play, Head claimed that he said 'well bowled' to Siraj after being bowled but his claim was quickly confronted by Siraj and his ardent supporters back home. Head claimed that Siraj had misunderstood him but the latter rubbished his claims and stated that no such comment was mentioned by Head at the time of his dismissal. 

See also: Mohammed Siraj claims Travis Head lied about heated moment in Adelaide Test

Matthew Hayden weighs in on this ongoing spat

The ongoing verbal row has attracted the attention of former Australian batting legend Matthew Hayden. While taking his countryman's side, Hayden opined that he could "lip-read" and felt that Head had indeed said "well bowled" instead of something far more sinister as Siraj had suggested earlier.  

"There is no need to take further action on that. It was an incident that neither party really enjoyed. I don't think the cricket public enjoys that sort of reaction. He has bowled a wonderful ball, let's not forget that. An innings that was absolutely superb, it was a really significant moment. The removal of Travis Head. He said 'well bowled'. I could lip-read. But I suppose, in the heat of the battle there is going always going to be misinterpretation. But the point is my opinion, all is fair in love and war when it comes to the actual removal of the batter."

But Hayden refrained from raining the alarm bells and suggested that such occurrences are fairly common in high-octane rivalries. Since their infamous spat, both Head and Siraj were seen hugging each other by the end of the match thus burying the hatchet and resolving the misunderstandings that had cropped up during the second Test. 

What happened next?

The on-field verbal altercation brought the game into a momentary disrepute and the action did not go unnoticed by ICC. Quite understandably, both Head and Siraj have been penalized by the ICC by issuing one demerit point. As with the series, the ongoing five-match BGT series stands at 1-1 with the next Test slated to be played in Brisbane on December 14.