Pakistan's Ajmal cleared to bowl a week before World Cup

A week before the start of the World Cup, the ICC said Ajmal and Bangladesh spinner Sohaq Gazi had been re-tested in Chennai last month and cleared to resume bowling in international cricket.

Pakistan's Ajmal cleared to bowl a week before World Cup

(Reuters)





"At the retests, it was revealed that the amount of elbow extensions in both the off-spinners' bowling actions for all their deliveries was within the 15-degree level of tolerance..." the world governing body said.

"The umpires are still at liberty to report Saeed Ajmal and Sohag Gazi in the future if they believe they are displaying a suspect action and not reproducing the legal actions from the retests."

Spin spearhead Ajmal pulled out of Pakistan's World Cup preliminary squad in December with the board ruling out any chance for the 37-year-old to get his remodelled action cleared before the Feb. 14-March 29 tournament.

But he has not given up hope of playing in the showpiece competition.

“Obviously if an emergency arises I am available for the World Cup even with my modified action although I would like to do more work on my modified action and new deliveries,” he told reporters in Lahore. “I am really delighted today at my action being cleared but I want to return to top cricket when totally comfortable I can repeat my old performances,” Ajmal said.

“It has been a hard time for me and it is not easy to have had my World Cup plans disrupted. But the bad times are now over and it is the start of a new phase of cricket for me,” he added. Ajmal, who has taken 178 test, 183 one-day international and 85 Twenty20 wickets is likely to return to the national side against Bangladesh in April.

"I don’t have any plans to retire and want to play for another three to four years,” he said. Pakistan, World Cup winners in 1992, begin their campaign against arch-rivals and defending champions India in Adelaide on Feb. 15.





(Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty; Editing by Greg Stutchbury and Ed Osmond)


Share

2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: Reuters


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world