5 spinners whose careers got affected due to suspect bowling action
Caption The issue of suspect actions has gained momentum over the last one-and-a-half years, particularly from the time that International Cricket Council (ICC) has revised its policies regarding it. ICC's proactive campaign to clamp down on illegal bowling actions has seen several high-profile cricketers being suspended from international and domestic cricket. Pakistan's Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Hafeez were previously reported and subsequently suspended from international cricket, while West Indies offspinner Sunil Narine was disqualified from bowling in the 2014 Champions League T20, after being reported in two successive matches.While most of these talented spinners have come back to international cricket, it has been seen that their remodelled actions have not been equally efficient. Here is a look at five spinners whose careers were affected because of suspect bowling actions:
#1 Sunil Narine (West Indies)
West Indies mystery offspinner Sunil Narine was reported for a suspected illegal bowling action during the 2014 Champions League Twenty20 in the group-league match between his side Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and the Dolphins. The charge was specifically related to Narine's quicker ball.
He was banned from bowling in the finalof the tournament, against Chennai Super Kings.
Consequently, Narine skipped West Indies' tour of India later that month, and said that he wanted to handle the rehabilitation process on his own. Despite not having played any competitive cricket since then, Narine was surprisingly picked for the 2015 World Cup squad. However, he withdrew from the World Cup stating that he needed more time with his remodelled action.
Narine had rose to fame while playing for KKR in the Indian Premier League (IPL) when even the best batsmen couldn’t read his spin. He was the highest wicket-taker in 2014 season and second-highest in 2012. He returned to 2015 IPL after correcting it and was again reported for illegal action by the BCCI. Since then, his bowling has lost its tooth and Narine has been extracting substantially lesser turn than before.
He picked seven wickets from eight matches in IPL 2015 as compared to 21 wickets from 16 matches in the previous season.