Pakistan cricket pundits to open unused $440,000 kit to test bowling actions
Karachi: 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.
The 37-year-old 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 domestic games.
“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,” said Sohail.
The former opening batsman for Pakistan, who played 47 Tests and 156 ODIs for Pakistan, added that there had been lack of interest in dealing with bowlers with doubtful actions.
“We are to be blamed. 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,” he said.
The NCA has equipments to test bowlers whether they are straightening their arm more than the permitted 15 degrees while 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 which trapped 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 and the series against Australia in the United Arab Emirates next month.
Head coach Waqar Younis faces a daunting task in finding a replacement for one of the world's best bowlers.
“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,” he said.
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. 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. We have to take steps to help youngsters get clean actions,” said Akram.
