ICC ups the ante, claims Ajmal’s wicket

KARACHI: The recent crackdown on bowlers – especially off-spinners – sends a clear message across the cricketing world; the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) vigilance has sharpened manifold and there is no letting up anytime soon.

The list of suspended off-spinners comprises Pakistan’s Saeed Ajmal, West Indian Shane Shillingford, Bangladesh’s Sohag Gazi, Sri Lanka’s Sachitra Senanayake and New Zealand’s Kane Williamson. Mohammad Hafeez, Harbhajan Singh, Shoaib Malik, Abdur Razak and others have been questioned as well.

Most recently, the global governing board snared Ajmal — undoubtedly the biggest catch of the anti-chucking drive. One of the best off-spinners in the world has been instructed to modify his action – proven to be in violation of the permitted 15-degree bend – after a recently concluded independent analysis.

However, the bigger worry is not about Ajmal’s future. The very survival of off-spin is at stake in today’s era of international cricket, where the ICC is increasingly tightening the noose around bowlers.

The abundance of T20 cricket and major changes in the ODIs’ regulations has left bowlers struggling amid batting-friendly rules.

Former cricketer Jalaluddin, one of the most qualified coaches in Pakistan, was of the opinion that bowlers get the wrong end of the stick.

“If you look closely at the bowlers who have been asked to undergo action tests in the last several months, 95% of them are off-spinners, which indicates that for them, international cricket is thin ice these days,” said Jalal.

“Cricket has become so fast-paced now that off-spinners cannot survive without variations, and one of their main weapons is ‘doosra’. If they cannot bowl the ‘doosra’, then they are left at the batsmen’s mercy.”

Jalal, who achieved the first hat-trick in ODIs, took a critical view of the current restriction of bowlers.

“All the rules have been made to restrict bowlers, be it about Power-play, over-limit, five fielders inside the circle, no ball, free hit etc. Are there any such rules for batsmen? For instance, are they being told that they can’t hit more than two sixes or have to walk away after a fifty or a century?”

Meanwhile, former off-spinner Tauseef Ahmed, who represented Pakistan in 34 Tests and 70 ODIs, picking up 93 and 55 wickets respectively, believes bowlers should adapt to new rules if they plan to prolong their international cricket careers.

“The bowlers must adjust to the limitations imposed by the ICC,” stressed Tauseef. “It’s unfortunate that our best bowler Ajmal has fallen prey to it, but I hope that he’ll make a comeback with a cleaner action.

“There are bowlers who have done well with cleaner actions such as Saqlain Mushtaq or England’s Graemme Swann. Saqlain had an indisputable ‘doosra’, while Swann was all about genuine off-spin, so there is still life for spinners without resorting to actions that have the potential to be questioned.”

Tauseef added that T20 cricket is to be blamed for bowlers’ chucking, as it has left spinners with few options.

“When the bowlers try to counter the batsmen by introducing variations in their deliveries, their actions are treated with suspicion and almost always land them in trouble.”

Batting maestro Zaheer Abbas, who scored 5,062 runs in 78 Tests for Pakistan and is one of the rare cricketers to score more than 100 first-class centuries, lambasted the ICC for “sleeping over the last several years and then suddenly waking up to ban Ajmal”.

“There are no two opinions on whether illegal bowling should be banned or not. But the question that fails to be addressed is that where were these ICC officials when Ajmal had been taking wickets for the last five years?

“They should have questioned his action at the start. What’s the point of creating a fuss now when the World Cup is around the corner?”