Suspect bowling actions should have been punished long ago - Ricky Ponting

Ricky Ponting supports ICC’s crackdown on bowlers with suspect actions

Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting is the latest in a long line of cricketers to support ICC’s recent clamp down on suspect bowling actions, adding that this practice had been allowed to go on “for way too long”.

On Wednesday, Zimbabwe’s Prosper Utseya and Bangladesh’s Sohag Gazi became the latest bowlers to be reprimanded by the ICC, thereby joining Pakistan off-spinner Saeed Ajmal, Sri Lanka’s Sachithra Senanayake and New Zealand part-timer Kane Williamson in being banned from bowling in international cricket due to illegal actions.

Sunil Narine and Mohammad Hafeez were also reported during the recently concluded Champions League T20, with Narine being barred from bowling in BCCI-organized tournaments, although they can continue bowling in international cricket for the time being.

Ponting said that he was a firm supporter of the ICC’s move and added that many former players had felt something should have been done about the malaise a long time ago.

"I'm absolutely for it," Ponting told Cricket Australia's website. "I believe a lot of that's gone on for way too long. You ask all the players who have played in the last 15 years, and probably the first thing that would come to mind that they would like to change in the game would be eradicating some of the actions that have been more than just unusual if you like, or suspect.

"There's been some [actions] - as we've seen with some of the degrees that have been reported over the last couple of weeks - [that have] been quite extreme, and I'm a big supporter of trying to eradicate those sorts of actions out of the game."

Although a large majority of players are pleased with the clamping down, there are also a few like Viv Richards and Waqar Younis who are disappointed with the timing considering that the ICC World Cup is just a few months away.