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Saeed Ajmal, the number one ODI bowler in the world, has now been deemed an official chucker by the ICC. This is the same man who was reported in 2009 and later cleared.
Did he change his action for the testing back then, but got so used to bowling outside the 15 degrees that he couldn’t do it this time around?
This is now a legitimate question because of the nature of in-house testing. As I wrote back in 2009, there are major issues with the ICC policy.
If you look at the players that have been cited in recent times some of the results showed throwing for some deliveries and not others. For example Marlon Samuels’ off-break is legal but his fast-deliveries are illegal.
Similarly, Johan Botha was suspended in February 2006 but was able to return to bowling in November of that year. In 2009 he was cited again and his doosra was found to be illegal.
These players are politely told they can continue bowling in international cricket but to “please refrain from bowling said illegal delivery”. Easier said than done.
Prosper Utseya, who picked up a hat trick against South Africa last month, was cited for a suspect action but had 21 days under the ICC rules before he had to undertake a test. So was able to play in the rest of the series.
Zimbabwe famously beat Australia and were an outside chance of making the final. If Utseya is suspended like Ajmal then how do we feel about his hat trick and heroics in that series? Likewise how do Pakistan fans feel knowing the cricketing world now has a large asterisk next to Ajmal’s career?
The ICC is determined not to end players’ careers and will give Ajmal every chance to rectify his action to bring it back to magical 15 degrees mark. The problem is the chance of relapse, which is developing a growing list of case studies.
The ICC says it’s keen to take a proactive approach and implement more testing for promising domestic players before they reach the international level.
However, testing someone in-house under controlled conditions at places such as Brisbane’s National Cricket Centre is no indication on how that player will bowl in a pressurised environment.
In 2004 the ICC used high-speed cameras at Champions Trophy matches to develop its own findings on what constitutes a throw. These cameras were able to develop 3D images on all bowlers and found almost every one had elbow bend of at least eight to 10 degrees.
This led to the now uniform stance of 15 degrees being defined as a throw. If these cameras were successful in redefining what a throw is, then why can’t they be used more often to weed out chuckers on the spot?
Like drug testing, high-speed cameras could be used randomly or in secret at matches a suspected player is involved in.
It’s unfair for fans, the player in question and opponents having a suspected chucker taking wickets in the 21 days before he has to front testing. Worse still, when a player is under suspicion from other players and commentators well before they are officially cited, allowing controversy to fester.
The fact one of the world’s best spinners in all formats is now out of the game, effectively cheating for who knows how long, makes this another dark moment for the sport.
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