KARACHI : Left frustrated after his international career was derailed owing to a suspect bowling action, Pakistan off-spinner Saeed Ajmal has lashed out at the International Cricket Council, saying that the world body’s rules on the issue make no sense and will kill the art of off-spin bowling.
The 38-year-old said if the ICC wanted to enforce its new rules properly, it should first carry out assessment tests of all bowlers active in international cricket at present.
“Why just target the off-spinners? Why not the left arm spinners, leg-spinners or fast bowlers? I can tell you that I have been through this bowling assessment process so many times and have watched and studied this issue so closely that I can vouch that if tests were carried out there would be many other bowlers whose bowling actions would exceed the 15 degrees extension limit,” Ajmal told Geo Super channel.
“I don’t want to take names but there are bowlers including fast bowlers who are violating the new rules but no one is looking at them,” he said.
Ajmal, whose career was hampered last year when he was reported for a illegal bowling action, said he was also amazed that no one had found any fault in the bowling actions of Indian off-spinners Harbhajan Singh and Ravichandran Ashwin.
“If they put Harbhajan through a proper bowling assessment test now, I can safely tell you he will exceed the 15 degrees limit.”
Ajmal said when the new rules were first introduced last year, the ICC should have first given some time to all bowlers to sort their actions before the crackdown.
“At times it makes no sense to me. They cleared my bowling action in 2009 on medical grounds and after six years they say my bowling is illegal.
“I find it strange that Bilal Asif plays his first two ODIs and doesn’t take many wickets no one reports his action. As soon as he takes five wickets his action is reported by the umpires. They find fault with just two deliveries. I find this a joke.” (AGENCIES)
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