Cricket's movement against illegal actions claimed its biggest victim on Tuesday in the form of Pakistan off-spinner Saeed Ajmal.
Tests by the International Cricket Council (ICC) confirmed that Ajmal’s action – reported by umpires in the recent series in Sri Lanka – was in breach of ICC regulations.
He has been suspended from bowling with immediate effect, which means he will almost certainly not be seen in action in the UAE during the next few months as Pakistan take on Australia and New Zealand.
Ajmal, who was also reported but cleared in 2009, said his "not usual" elbow – the result of an accident more than 15 years ago – was the cause and that he would appeal against the decision.
Initially, the Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Shaharyar Khan backed Ajmal’s stance and said they would appeal. But the board did an about-face hours later and issued a statement in which they said they would “weigh all options” first before deciding on a course of action.
Part of the reason for the change in course is the risk an appeal carries. If Ajmal does not appeal, he can work on rectifying his action now and, theoretically, have it reassessed as soon as possible. If it is cleared, he can return.
If, instead, they appeal the findings to a Bowling Review Group constituted by the ICC, they risk a time-bound suspension should the appeal be found to hold no substance.
Though Ajmal cites the condition of his elbow as a valid medical reason for his action, the lab testing protocol is believed to take that into account before testing.
In any case, The National understands, the main concern with Ajmal’s action is that he has developed greater bend in his elbow when his arm comes over in its action. That is thought to be a significant difference in his action from the last time he was tested five years ago.
Of greater worry for Ajmal will be the fact that all his deliveries were found to be in breach and not just the doosra, which is the delivery that most often arouses concerns.
In fact, there is not thought to be much difference in how he delivers the regular off-spinner and the doosra.
But, importantly, all his deliveries were considerably over the 15 degree limit of flex that is allowed by the ICC.
It is a significant blow to Pakistan’s chances this winter and for the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand early next year.
Ajmal has been their leading bowler across all formats over the past five years and one of the most successful anywhere.
List of players suspended or banned by ICC for bowling actions:
Australia: Ian Meckiff, Brett Lee
Bangladesh: Sohag Gazi, Abdur Razzak
England: James Kirtley
India: Harbhajan Singh
Pakistan: Saeed Ajmal, Shabbir Ahmed, Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Riaz Afridi, Shahid Afridi
New Zealand: Kane Williamson
South Africa: Johan Botha
Sri Lanka: Muttiah Muralitharan, Sachithra Senanayake
West Indies: Shane Shillingford, Marlon Samuels, Jermaine Lawson
Zimbabwe: Prosper Utseya, Grant Flower, Henry Olonga
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