Saeed Ajmal reported for suspected illegal bowling action, to undergo testing within 21 days
Ace Pakistani off-spinner Saeed Ajmal has been reported with a suspected illegal bowling action in the 1st Test at Galle against Sri Lanka where his team lost by 7-wickets on Sunday.
“The match officials’ report, which was handed over to Pakistan team manager Moin Khan on Sunday, cited concerns over a number of deliveries that were considered to be suspect and concluded that the bowler’s action needed to be tested,” the ICC press release said.
“Ajmal’s bowling action will now be scrutinised further under the ICC process relating to suspected illegal bowling actions reported in Tests, ODIs and T20Is. He is required to undergo testing within 21 days, and, during this period, Ajmal is permitted to continue bowling in international cricket until the results of the testing are known.”
Ajmal is the latest and the most high-profile bowler in recent times to have come under spotlight for suspect action. Recently, Kane Williamson, Sachitra Senanayake, Marlon Samuels, Shane Shillingford and Johan Botha have faced issues with their actions.
Scrutiny in England
During Ajmal’s County cricket stint recently, concerns were raised over his bowling action, especially by England cricketer Stuart Broad, who was then reprimanded by the ECB for his comments.
Ajmal picked 63 wickets for Worcestershire in 9 matches at an average of 16.47, the most prolific bowler in the current season. Against Essex, he picked 13 wickets in a match-winning performance, including 7/19 in the second innings, his career-best performance in first class cricket.
Michael Vaughan, the ex-England skipper, posted this image on Twitter after the game, citing ICC’s rule of bending of arm in a delivery stride:
Another image posted by Vaughan on Twitter led to Broad expressing his shock, saying “This has to be a fake photo”.