Saeed Ajmal ready for his ‘doosra’ spell

KARACHI: Full marks to Saeed Ajmal for clearing his bowling action after a protracted struggle of more than four months on reducing the flex in his right elbow. His clearance is good news after a bucket full of disappointments lately.

Cricketing pundits, or at least most of them, had written off Ajmal, doubting that he would ever return to international cricket following suspension from the bowling crease since the bend in his arm was beyond repair.

But Ajmal the wizard proved them wrong through his steely resolve, managing to reduce the flex from an average of 30 degrees to fewer than 15 —the legal limit ordained by the International Cricket Council (ICC).

An elated Ajmal announced in Lahore that he was ‘ready’ to return to international cricket, exuding confidence to re-emerge as the leading slow bowler in the game today. Still, the clearance of his action is merely the first step for the off-spinner.

The 37-year-old is now almost a born-again bowler. While he has tons of experience of bowling under pressure, most of his prized weapons including the ‘doosra’ are not part of his armoury any more. Ajmal was forced to give up the biggest trick up his sleeve since with a straight, non flexing elbow it is almost impossible for Ajmal to bowl the doosra.

Ajmal’s repertoire now includes a carom ball similar to the one bowled by Sri Lankan Ajantha Mendis and Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. His effectiveness with the carom is largely untested in a competitive match situation.

During the One-Day International series against Kenya at home, Ajmal bowled against the minnows with his remodelled action, but remained unimpressive and seemed to lack the bite that made his a major threat in all formats of the game. A World Cup appearance is beyond Ajmal and one feels he made a sensible call by withdrawing from the premier event where the players are under immense pressure and are scrutinised more than anywhere else.

In the coming days Ajmal must bowl regularly and get a total grip on his new assortment of tricks, even after the World Cup, Pakistan would need his services considering the threadbare bowling attack.

At 37, the Faisalabad-born spinner doesn’t have a long road to travel and the new action can severely test him at the international stage. But regardless of the results and the longevity of his new tenure at the highest level, the pundits must acknowledge Ajmal’s never-say-die spirit. May the ‘doosra’ spell at the top even outdo the first.


Published in The Express Tribune, February 8^th, 2015.