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The story of Saeed Ajmal’s suspension took a new twist on Wednesday as Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have taken a U-turn on their decision to appeal the bowling ban imposed on their frontline spinner. The off-spinner was barred from bowling in international cricket after biomedical tests ruled his bowling action illegal.
Shaharyar Khan, the PCB chairman stated earlier that the board was keen to appeal against the ban after the test results were disclosed on Tuesday. However, the 80-year-old announced that the issue will now only be referred to a new committee within Pakistan to tackle further problems in the future.
Committee to look at bowling actions
"We have decided to make a committee to assess bowling actions of all these suspect bowlers so that this problem is sorted out once and for all," Khan said.
The committee's recommendations will be considered before the board makes its next move, he informed further. He also revealed that at least 35 bowlers, mostly spinners, in Pakistan’s domestic circuit have a suspect bowling action.
Considering the fact that Ajmal is ranked No.1 in the ICC ODI rankings and a wicket-taking option across formats, there is speculation that the ban may be a result of internal politics. Notably, England pacer Stuart Broad and player-turned-commentator Michael Vaughan had questioned the legality of the 36-year-old’s action.
"It's not only against Pakistan. There are lots of other bowlers from countries like Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and the West Indies, who were reported in the recent past, and now the ICC is strict on this," Khan said about the controversy.
Ajmal hopes to be part of 2015 World Cup
Ajmal’s suspension has further depleted Pakistan’s chances in the World Cup 2015 scheduled down under. Given the fact that the Faisalabad-born spinner also has a record of being reported in the past for his ‘doosra’ in 2009, he was upbeat about returning to cricket soon and claims to have a medical condition that prevents him from bowling with a straight arm.
Responding to the ban, Ajmal said: "I am still positive, and can make it to the World Cup. They (ICC) have not yet considered my medical reports, and once they do it I am sure there should be no problems. There's a bend in my arm, and if someone has a medical problem he can't do much about it," told a private television channel.
The bowler can appeal for re-testing once he modifies his bowling action and is permitted to bowl in domestic matches till then as per ICC regulations.
