Saqlain to help Ajmal correct illegal action

PCB committee has recommended that Saqlain must be requested to help Ajmal.


Afp September 10, 2014

KARACHI: Former Pakistan off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq will help countryman Saeed Ajmal correct his bowling action which led to his suspension from international cricket, he confirmed Wednesday.

Saqlain, 37, invented the "doosra", a delivery which turns away from the batsman as opposed to conventional off-spin.

It is widely believed that bowlers who bowl the doosra bend their arm more than the allowed 15 degree, though Saqlain himself was not accused of chucking during his career.

"We are in contact with Saqlain and are in the process of negotiating the contract with him to help Ajmal on his action," said a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) spokesperson.

Saqlain, who took 208 Test and 288 one-day wickets in an illustrious career that included a long stint at Surrey, confirmed he would help.

"Yes, I am ready to help and I am in contact to work out modalities of my travel to Pakistan," Saqlain told AFP from London.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) Tuesday said Ajmal would be suspended from international cricket after a biomechanical analysis of his action in Brisbane found his bowling arm flex was more than the 15 degrees allowed.

His action was reported during Galle last month's Test against Sri Lanka.

The PCB initially said it would appeal against the suspension but later changed its stance and asked its committee on illegal bowling action to assess the report.

The committee has recommended that Saqlain must be requested to help Ajmal.

As per ICC rules Ajmal will remain suspended until remedial work on his action after which he can apply for a reassessment.

But if reported again within two years, Ajmal would be banned for a year.

Ajmal's suspension has dented Pakistan's hopes for next month's limited overs and Test series against Australia in the United Arab Emirates next month and more importantly in next year's World Cup.

The PCB meanwhile has stopped Ajmal from speaking to the media.

"I shall wait for the outcome of deliberations and verdict of Pakistan Cricket Board's Illegal Bowling Action Committee and until that process is complete, I shall not be making any further comments on the subject," Ajmal was quoted in a PCB release as saying.

COMMENTS (3)

Dr. Asad Sadick, Germany | 9 years ago | Reply

I will tell you why Saqlain was never admonished for chucking. Saqlain used his wrist and shoulder not his elbow. This needs tremendous training in the gym to train the shoulder rotator muscles, but it is possible. By using the wrist and shoulder he never needed to bend his elbow and that is why his Doosra was better disguised. If you look at Shoaib Malik s action bowling off breaks it was very similar to that of Saqlains but he was unable to bowl the Doosra. Reason being he has primarily a batsman and did not train or use the rotator muscles. You need the biceps as a batsman. There is a lot of Anatomy, Physiology and Physics involved in analyzing cricketers. I wish both Ajmal and Saqlain good luck.

Sheikh Tahseen | 9 years ago | Reply

Seems a better decision in current scenario. But PCB should better say must take further more right steps to keep continue Ajmal bowling career. Good luck Ajmal and Pak Team

VIEW MORE COMMENTS
Replying to X

Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.

For more information, please see our Comments FAQ