"Their bowling action is illegal" - Saeed Ajmal names Harbhajan, Ashwin among bowlers whom ICC could have banned

Former Pakistan spinner Saeed Ajmal has alleged that many bowlers, including Harbhajan Singh and Ravichandran Ashwin, would have failed the ICC's test for bowling action.

Ajmal, who was once the world number one bowler, got banned from bowling due to issues with his action in 2014. His bowling action was deemed illegal while playing for Pakistan against Sri Lanka in 2014.

During an appearance on the Nadir Ali Podcast, Saeed Ajmal pointed out that there were many great bowlers who had an illegal action.

"I can give you 20-25 names of bowlers who used to do this. Bowlers who have taken 400-500 wickets are also present in the list. The likes of Harbhajan Singh, Ashwin, Narine, Muttiah Muralitharan, even he was on medical condition. Then among fast bowlers, there's Ambrose, Courtney Marsh, many others," Ajmal said.

Explaining why they could have been banned by the ICC, Ajmal continued:

"These bowlers give a jerk to their hand while bowling. Their bowling action is illegal."

"After I took 448 international wickets, they remembered that Saeed Ajmal's action is not proper" - Former Pakistan star says rules changed after Muttiah Muralitharan retired

Sharing the details of the changes in the ICC tests between 2009 and 2014, Saeed Ajmal said that the officials cleared him to bowl with the same action in 2009 because of his medical condition. However, in Ajmal's views, the board changed the rules seeing his success.

"I had a medical condition. My shoulder, wrist and arm were not fully fine. A man whose shoulder bends 90 degrees, he cannot raise his shoulder without bending it. Under that medical condition, I was cleared to bowl," described Ajmal.

"I kept playing like that. After I took 448 international wickets, they remembered that Saeed Ajmal's action is not proper. I asked about it to the referee in Sri Lanka. He gave me a letter which stated that the medical condition is not applicable to you now," continued Ajmal.

The former Pakistan spinner concluded by saying that Sri Lankan great Muttiah Muralitharan also had a medical condition. When his international career ended, the ICC removed the rule.

"I asked them why. They said Muralitharan has retired. He had some medical condition as well. So they removed the rule," Ajmal concluded.

Ajmal played his last match for Pakistan in 2015. He has retired and takes care of his garments business in Faisalabad now.