Results out: Saeed’s elbow flex reduced but new action still not kosher

Unofficial testing reveals improvement but work still needed to be done

KARACHI: The results of the unofficial tests of suspended spinner Saeed Ajmal’s bowling action suggest that there is substantial improvement in his action but more work still needs to be done as the elbow flex is still over the allowed limit.

Ajmal was sent to England’s Loughborough University by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for unofficial testing of his modified action before applying for official tests with the International Cricket Council (ICC).

After the tests at the ICC accredited facility, biomechanist Dr Mark King has reported that Ajmal has modified his bowling action substantially. However, while Dr King said that ‘there is clearly a substantial improvement from the previous official test’, the report added that additional work is still required for Ajmal to bowl within the elbow flex limit of 15 degrees.

Ajmal was reported for a suspect bowling action during the first Test between Sri Lanka and Pakistan in Galle in August. The report was made by the on-field umpires, Bruce Oxenford and Ian Gould; third umpire Richard Illingworth; and match referee Andy Pycroft, which showed concerns over more than 25 deliveries.

Ajmal had worked for almost 45 days with Saqlain Mushtaq, Mushtaq Ahmed and Muhammad Akram, along with various analysts, since his official test in Brisbane concluded that that his average elbow extension was over 40 degrees; more than twice the allowed amount.

He was tested by Dr King and his team with 18 Camera Vicon MX13 System Cameras (250 Hz). The standard ICC Illegal Action Testing Protocol was used to assess the degree of elbow extension from the point of the upper arm horizontal to ball release within the bowling action.

According to the PCB, Dr King’s report concluded, “The bowler has clearly modified his bowling action substantially. There is clearly a substantial improvement from the previous official test where the average elbow extension was 40 degrees but the amount of elbow extension is still over the 15-degree limit, but it is likely that with additional work the bowler can bowl within the 15-degree limit”.

Following this report, it was decided to extend Ajmal’s stay in England by a week to allow him to engage in further remedial work with Saqlain at Leicester.

Meanwhile, PCB’s bowling action committee members have said that the result is positive news for Ajmal and Pakistan cricket.

“There are clearly positive indications that he has improved his action but still requires more work on it,” an illegal bowling committee member told The Express Tribune. “At least there is hope that Ajmal is close to achieving the legal limit for bowlers. But still the biggest challenge for Ajmal would be to get cleared and prove that he still has that ability to bamboozle batsmen with a modified action. It’s challenging to remain effective with a different action.”

 

Like Sports on Facebook, follow @ETribuneSports on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.