FIRST IT WAS SAID THAT CRICKET IS THE GAME OF ASHES BUT IT IS THE GAME OF GAMBLE AS WELL CRICKET PASSION "LOVE FOR CRICKET"
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
AJMAL 23.5 IT'S ALLOW FOR ME
The PCB has attempted to clarify comments made bySaeed Ajmal about his bowling action by issuing a statement that suggests the spinner's arm is not naturally straight. Ajmal had apparently suggested that he was allowed 23.5 degrees of extension when bowling by the ICC - rather than the limit of 15 - but the Pakistan board said this figure included the angle of Ajmal's elbow joint, which was affected by an accident some years ago.
"The ICC's level of tolerance of 15 degrees relates to the degree of elbow extension that is permitted in the bowling action, ie. the amount by which the arm is straightening," Pakistan team manager Naveed Akram Cheema said. "Previous tests conducted on the action of Saeed Ajmal show that the degree of elbow extension is well within ICC's tolerance levels."
"Saeed Ajmal was referring to the angle of elbow abduction, ie. the angle of the upper arm to the forearm and not the degree of elbow extension. This angle is approximately 23 degrees in Saeed's case."
The ICC confirmed in the same statement that Ajmal's action does not fall outside the 15-degree tolerance limit.
"There is a big difference between the 'elbow carry angle' (elbow abduction) and the degree of elbow extension," ICC general manager David Richardson said. "There is nothing preventing a bowler bowling with a bent arm, provided he does not straighten it beyond the permitted degrees of tolerance."
Ajmal, Man of the Series as Pakistan whitewashed England 3-0 in the UAE, had sparked confusion over his bowling action by giving an interview in which he appeared to claim that he has special dispensation to exceed the limit currently permitted by the ICC.
In the interview with the BBC, Ajmal volunteered the belief that the ICC had allowed him 23.5 degrees to compensate for an accident in which he injured his arm. The ICC, however, were quick to reject the suggestion.
Ajmal said: "Someone is telling me my action is bad because the ICC allowed me as a bowler 23.5 degrees, because my arm is not good. A few years ago I had an accident. Otherwise, no problem, the action was cleared by ICC."
An ICC spokeman denied that was the case. "There is no dispensation for anyone," he said. "It is worth remembering that his first language is not English and this may have been a slip of the tongue."
It may be that Ajmal, having bamboozled England's batsmen all series, was simply leaving his best trick until last. Renowned for his sense of humour, it could be that Ajmal, who started the series talking of a teesra delivery that never materialised, was simply joking.
Ajmal tormented the England batsmen in all three Tests, claiming 24 wickets in the series at an average of just 14.7. Their inability to distinguish between his off-break and doosra caused particular confusion and vastly reduced the effectiveness of England's much-vaunted middle order. Ian Bell, Eoin Morgan and Kevin Pietersen all failed to average more than 13.
While Bob Willis, the former England captain turned pundit, had raised concerns about Ajmal's action at the start of the series, the England team have been reluctant to be dragged into any controversy. Consequently, they have stuck to the line that it is job of the umpires and the ICC to scrutinise bowlers' actions.
However, Andy Flower, the England coach, expressed his surprise after being told of Ajmal's remarks. "If that's the degree, then there's a problem," Flower said. "That's ridiculous.
"That is an ICC issue, though. They are there to police the game, and make sure that it is played within the rules, so they've got to scrutinise his action. We've all got our own views, but our job is to combat whoever is put against us, and part of it is also to play the game in the right spirit.
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