Marcus Stoinis has earned the ire of many cricket fans following his 'disgusting' sledge against Mohammad Hasnain during Sunday's clash in The Hundred.
Australia all-rounder Stoinis finished as the Southern Brave's top scorer after collecting 37 runs off 27 against the Oval Invincibles. And it was Pakistan fast bowler Hasnain who brought an end to his innings by virtue of his unorthodox delivery.
But Stoinis got one final attack in as he departed London's Oval, making a 'chucking' with his right arm as he left the field. His action conjured a wave of push-back on social media, where cricket writer Saj Sadiq suggested the 32-year-old should be 'sticking to playing cricket and letting the officials do their job.'
The ICC cleared Hasnain, 22, to use his controversial bowling in June following a period of suspension while the matter was under review. ESPNcricinfo reported referee Dean Cosker spoke to Stoinis at the time of the incident, but he will 'not be formally charged with a breach of the ECB's disciplinary code'.
"This is shocking!!! Hasnain has been cleared and it has nothing to do with Stoinis," wrote former Yorkshire captain Azeem Rafiq. Hasnain has encountered accusations of 'chucking' in the past, with Sydney Sixers captain Moises Henriques suggesting it was "not in the spirit of the game" during the Big Bash League at the start of 2022.
The Age's Daniel Brettig called Stoinis' criticism "poor" given Hasnain has already been subject to assessment from officials. "There's a system in place to regulate bowling actions and it doesn't include publicly questioning your opponent's integrity," he tweeted.
Do you think Stoinis' action warrants a punishment? Let us know in the comments section.
Not everyone was in agreement, however, as others rallied to Stoinis' side in the argument. "If hes (sic) just been dismissed by a chucked ball then it has everything to do with him," blared one social media user.
After initially being suspended in February, Hasnain's bowling technique was found to be legal as 'the amount of elbow extension in the reassessment was within the 15-degree level of tolerance permitted'. The youngster was first capped by Pakistan in 2019 and has been tipped for a very bright future.
Hasnain and the Invincibles ultimate had the last laugh on Sunday and climbed back to second in the standings thanks to their seven-wicket win. Stoinis and the Brave, meanwhile, remains sixth having won just one of their four outings thus far.
