LAHORE - At least eight bowlers with suspect bowling actions, including a player in the national squad, have been directed to undergo tests to be conducted by a committee of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) next week at the National Cricket Academy.
The PCB said in a statement that fast bowler Ataullah had already undergone the test while Sohaib Maqsood's action will be tested when he returns from the UAE where he is in the Pakistan team for the limited over series against Australia. All these bowlers were reported for suspect bowling actions by match officials during the recent National T20 Championship in Karachi. Except for Junaid Zia, who is a pacer, all the bowlers called for analysis of their actions are spinners. These include Nayyar Abbas, Usman Malik, Khurrum Shahzad, Faraz Ahmed Khan, Jahanzaib Khan, Muzammal Tehseen and Nadeem Javed.
"This is part of a crackdown on bowlers who have suspect bowling actions as this is a menace we have to clear up in domestic cricket," Iqbal Qasim who heads the illegal bowling committee said. The committee was formed after top spinner Saeed Ajmal was reported by match officials after the first Test against Sri Lanka at Galle in August. Saeed also failed his biomechanics test in Brisbane and was subsequently banned from bowling in international cricket by the International Cricket Council.