Sydney Sixers captain Moises Henriques ‘should be punished’ for on-field sledge

Sydney Sixers captain Moises Henriques has claimed Mohammad Hasnain’s suspect bowling action violates “the spirit of the game”.

Sydney Sixers captain Moises Henriques has suggested the bowling action of Pakistan seamer Mohammad Hasnain violates “the spirit of the game”, conceding he became “a little emotional and frustrated” while facing the Sydney Thunder quick last week.

On Wednesday, Cricket Australia confirmed that Hasnain had been reported for a suspected illegal bowling action during a Big Bash League match against the Adelaide Strikers in Sydney.

The 21-year-old’s bowling action will be tested at an approved facility in Lahore ahead of the Pakistan Super League season. He will be permitted to continue bowling pending the results of the test, but if found guilty could face a ban.

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During last week’s Sydney Smash at the SCG, Henriques was overheard on the stump microphone saying “nice throw mate”, after Hasnain delivered a bouncer at the veteran all-rounder.

Former Australian batter Brad Hodge was unimpressed with Henriques’ remarks, suggesting he deserved to be sanctioned for the sledge.

“I reckon that’s wrong from Moises Henriques,” Hodge told Channel 7. “I think he should be brought in front of the tribunal. That goes against the spirit of cricket.

“He should be punished for that.”

Hodge also argued Hasnain should be permitted to continue bowling even if his action was “borderline” illegal.

“I don’t see a huge issue with what Hasnain’s doing visually,” he said.

“Yeah it looks like there’s a little bit of a bent arm, but we’ve seen one of our best ever do it for two decades.

“If you can bowl it at 145km/h and it’s really borderline, I think let it play on.”

“I dont

I’m with Hodge here. The first time I saw the highlights of Henriques giving it to Hasnain the other day it just seemed… wrong. #bbl#cricketpic.twitter.com/yYqwvLT0z4

— Mark Gottlieb (@MarkGottlieb) January 19, 2022

Thunder spinner Chris Green, who himself was pinged for an illegal bowling action two years ago, speculated whether Henriques’ remarks were merely a ploy to get under Hasnain’s skin.

“I’d hate to think he used that tactic to try and get him rubbed out or banned,” Green said. “I just think it was more to try and upset him and get him to miss his spots because he was accurate. It was a normal sledge that anyone would do. I don’t think that would be a pre-planned thing going into the game.

“That stuff is said in the heat of the battle. Whether (Henriques) was trying to get under our skin … the Sixers outplayed us completely in that game and Hasnain was our best bowler and has been our best bowler in a number of games he played.

“For any opposition to look to target him or try and get the upper hand, whether it be without the bat or the ball, I think that is a tactic used.”

Green said the Thunder camp had “no clue” Hasnain’s bowling action was facing scrutiny.

“To me, he has got a slingy action and slingy actions, there have been plenty of them,” he said. “He’s just a different style of action. Perhaps that’s what led to it.

“From a team perspective, from a club perspective and certainly from my own perspective, we just want to stand by him and support him. Having gone through it myself, I know the shock and it threw me. I’ve reached out to him and I’m sure he’s going to be really well supported by the PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board).

“We loved having him at the Thunder, he was fantastic for us and a great person and great bowler. We’d love to have him back next year hopefully.”

Muhammad Hasnain of the Thunder. Photo by Brett Hemmings/Getty Images

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Henriques claimed he had identified problems with Hasnain’s bowling action before the Sydney Smash fixture.

“From the naked eye, and I am no biomechanic professional by any stretch of the imagination, but you know right from the first game he played and through to the tournament, it seemed that there was a few question marks there,” he said.

“I didn’t have the protractor out.

“I guess from my point of view, we knew already it had been reported. I feel like the umpires are a little bit hamstrung in terms of what they can actually do on the cricket field, because they’re so worried about backlash and public opinion.

“I could definitely argue that what he was doing was not in the spirit of the game.

“And I also agree that possibly I got a little bit emotional and frustrated and I was a bit overt with my comments out in the middle. But you know, I called a spade a spade and that was my opinion.

“From afar, he seems like a good kid … hopefully he can get that action right and pass the test and hopefully he can have a long career.

“As long as he’s playing within the rules of the game that everyone else has to abide by.

“Good luck to him. It looks like he could have a long future if that all gets sorted.”

Hasnain, who has played eight ODIs and 18 T20Is for Pakistan, holds records for his bowling speeds in the Caribbean Super League and Pakistan Super League.

Against the Strikers, he became the first player in BBL history to take three wickets in their debut over, and did so without leaking any runs.

Hasnain finished the summer with seven wickets from five games at an average of 15.71, but the speedster will not feature in the BBL finals series.
The Thunder will face either the Hobart Hurricanes or the Adelaide Strikers in “The Knockout” at the MCG on Sunday evening, with the first ball scheduled for 7.15pm AEDT.

— with Jasper Bruce, NCA NewsWire