In a major blow to Pakistan cricket their leading offspinner Saeed Ajmal has been suspended by International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday for illegal bowling action with immediate effect.
According to the analysis that revealed all his deliveries exceeded the 15 degrees level of tolerance permitted under the regulations. Saeed, who was reported after the first Test match against Sri Lanka in Galle last month, can apply a re-assessment after he has modified his bowling action in accordance with clause 2.4 of the Regulations for the Review of Bowlers Reported with Suspected Illegal Bowling Actions.
The analysis was performed on 25 August by the ICC’s accredited team of Human Movement Specialists using the National Cricket Centre in Brisbane.
Reported to match referee Andy Pycroft by on-field umpires Ben Oxenford and Ian Gould, Ajmal played the second match only to see his team lose the game and the series. The venue and time of the analysis was decided in consultation with the Pakistan Cricket Board.
Ajmal has played 35 Tests and taken 178 wickets. His ODI record stands at an impressive 183 wickets from 111 matches. His 63 T20 appearances have yielded 85 wickets.
He was first reported for a suspect action in 2009 – his debut year – but was cleared after tests at the University of Western Australia in Perth. The bowler was reported for his ‘doosra’.
