Saeed
Ajmal took a career-best seven for 55 against England in the first Test but the
Pakistan off spinner’s bowling action has once again come under scrutiny with
suggestions that he bends his elbow more than the permissible limit of 15
degrees.
Ajmal
was the wrecker-in-chief for Pakistan as he helped his team bundle out England
for 192 in their first innings in Dubai on Tuesday. However, former England
captain Bob Willis claimed that the off-spinner was illegally bending his arm.
Willis
claimed that while Ajmal’s stock delivery doesn’t raise a doubt, it is the
doosra — the delivery that turns away from the righthanded batsmen — which is
questionable.
'The
problem I have is with the doosra,' said Willis while commentating for Sky
Sports. 'Why do all these bowlers bowl with their sleeves buttoned around their
wrists? Why aren’t they wearing shortsleeved shirts? The answer is clear. They
are bending their elbows.
'The
authorities are now allowing these mystery spinners, unorthodox off-spinners,
to bend their elbows to a degree. If they are going to be allowed to do this,
England should be saying, "Shouldn’t we be teaching
our young spinners to bowl like that as well?"'
Slow
motion replays suggested Ajmal bent his arm by as much as 35 degrees, 20 more
than the legal limit, for at least one delivery on Tuesday but he was
unrepentant afterwards.
Ajmal
was reported over his doosra three years ago but was later cleared by the
International Cricket Council (ICC).
The
off-spinner, meanwhile, remains defiant. 'I am just focusing on my bowling.
It’s the responsibility of the umpires and the referee to decide whether there
is any problem with my action. I have no issue with anyone raising this. I have
bowled all round the world, including in county cricket, without any problem,'
said Ajmal.
'They
did it to Saqlain Mushtaq. They are doing it with me now. Australia questioned
my action (in 2009) but I see no problem with it.'
Pakistan
cricket fraternity however, reacted in anger over questions being raised about
Ajmal’s action, but former captain Rashid Latif admitted that some doubt is
understandable.
The
former wicket-keeper batsman said that the off-spinner’s action could come
under the ICC scanner and after a proper video analysis it appears that in some
instances, Ajmal’s bending of the arm could be reviewed.
'If
you look closely at his action while bowling some deliveries it appears to me
the match officials could report his action and I think the Pakistan team
management and board should be prepared for this,' Latif was quoted as saying
by PTI.
'I
don’t want to discourage him or demean our team’s brilliant performance on the
first day of the Test but it would be a good move on part of the team
management and players to sit down and analyse themselves and be prepared for
the worst,' added the former-Pakistan wicket-keeper.
Former
Test bowlers Saqlain and Tauseef Ahmed advised Ajmal not to get
distracted by the issues raised in the England camp.
Paul
Hurrion, ICC head biomechanics analyst, said that although the closest possible
environment is created so that a bowler can replicate what it is like during an
actual match, there is no 100 per cent surety whether the technology is fool
proof.
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