Ajmal ban triggers Pakistan action on chucking

The ban slapped on star spinner Saeed Ajmal has left Pakistan's cricket chiefs frantically trying to take action on "chuckers", including dusting off expensive biomechanical testing kit that had laid unused for years.

Ajmal, who turns 37 next month, was suspended from international cricket on Tuesday after biomechanical analysis found his bowling action, reported during the Galle Test against Sri Lanka last month, to be illegal.

He must now undergo remedial work on his action, and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shaharyar Khan acknowledged chucking was rife in the domestic game.

"I was informed 25 suspected bowlers had been playing in our domestic cricket and now the number has increased up to 35 - that means every team has at least two suspected bowlers," said Khan.

Former captain and ex-PCB director of National Cricket Academy (NCA) Aamir Sohail said there were warning signs for Ajmal, who has bowled more balls than any other international bowler in the last three years.

"I had warned in February this year that Ajmal will be suspended because his action was deteriorating with age, but no one heeded. I had recommended his action be checked every year," he told AFP.

Former opening batsman Sohail, who played 47 Tests and 156 ODIs for Pakistan, said there had been a total lack of interest in dealing with bowlers with suspect actions.

"We are ourselves to blame," Sohail told AFP. "We have a biomechanic lab in NCA which I activated and gave a list of bowlers to test there, but the lab remained ineffective for years."

The NCA has equipment to test bowlers to check they are not straightening their arm more than the permitted 15 degrees in delivering the ball.

But the $440,000 kit, which includes 18 cameras supporting apparatus and computer software, has gathered dust since it was bought in 2009 as successive PCB chiefs dismissed the need for it.

Cleared of chucking due to a congenital defect of his elbow in 2009, Ajmal came under suspicion again this year when England paceman Stuart Broad and former captain Michael Vaughan queried his action while the Pakistani was taking wickets at will in county cricket.

In June the International Cricket Council's cricket committee recommended a stricter approach on illegal actions.

That snared Sri Lanka's Sachitra Senanayake and New Zealand's Kane Williamson - both suspended in July - and then attention turned to Ajmal.

His ban is a huge blow for Pakistan as he has led the team's attack almost single-handedly across all three formats and was seen as key to their chances in next year's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

Head coach Waqar Younis faces a daunting task in finding a replacement for one of the world's best bowlers.

The ban comes at a particularly difficult moment, with Pakistan facing a tough series against Australia in the United Arab Emirates next month.

"Of course, it's a blow," Waqar told AFP. "The timing is unfortunate but life goes on and we have to find a replacement as quickly as possible or hope Ajmal gets back after getting cleared."

Possible replacements include the under-performing Abdur Rehman and ageing Zulfiqar Babar - both left-arm spinners - who have spent the last few years in Ajmal's shadow.

The team management has also summoned off-spinners from the domestic circuit, with prolific wicket-takers Atif Maqbool and Adnan Rasool seen as front-runners.

But even these players have had questions over their bowling actions at domestic level - indeed Rasool modelled his on Ajmal's.

Mohammad Akram, head coach at NCA, said the process of eliminating bowlers with suspect actions would take time.

The fact Ajmal has been the team's pre-eminent bowler for some time makes matters even more difficult.

"Youngsters used to model their actions on Wasim (Akram) and Waqar in 1990s, but now they model their actions on Ajmal," said Akram.

"We have to take steps to help youngsters get clean actions."

Since the suspension of Ajmal, Pakistan's top spinner over the last three years, questions have been asked about the bowling actions of his possible replacements.

Off-spinners Atif Maqbool and Misbah Khan from Karachi are among the top wicket-takers in the domestic game, but are not being considered to replace Ajmal for the coming series against Australia and New Zealand because of their actions.

Misbah was reported last year for a suspect action in domestic cricket.

"It is a problem in Pakistan cricket and the illegal bowling action committee has pointed out around 25 bowlers whose actions need to be worked on," PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan said.

REHABILITATION PROCESS

Pakistan have turned to leg spinner Yasir Shah as a possible replacement for Ajmal, even though the 28-year-old has been sidelined by selectors since playing two Twenty20 matches and a one-day international against Zimbabwe in 2011.

"We have to find a replacement. We can't wait because we have an important series ahead of us and also the World Cup," Khan said.

He added that Ajmal's rehabilitation process would take time. The PCB has hired Pakistan's former off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq to work with Ajmal on remodeling his action.

The 37-year-old Saqlain, who is considered a pioneer of the "doosra" delivery, was never called or reported for a suspect action during his international career, which ended in 2004 due to a knee injury after he took 208 Test and 288 ODI wickets.

"Saqlain used to put his weight on his knees in his delivery stride which is why he had a clean action," Rashid Latif said.

"Nowadays off-spinners are not doing this and I suspect we will see many more bowlers being reported in the near future."

Pakistan has already had its fair share of problems with bowling actions. Shabbir Ahmed, Shoaib Akhtar, Shoaib Malik, Muhammad Hafeez, Riaz Afridi, Shahid Afridi have all been either reported or called at international level since 1999.  
 

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