SPORTS Wednesday, 10 September, 2014
LAHORE
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Staff RepoRt
N a huge blow to Pakistan, offspinner Saeed Ajmal has been banned from bowling in international cricket by the ICC after his action was deemed to be illegal for all deliveries. Ajmal, who has been Pakistan's lead spinner in all formats in recent years, was reported after the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle last month. The decision to ban him was taken after an ICC accredited team of bio-mechanics experts tested his action at the National Cricket Centre in Brisbane. Ajmal can apply to the ICC for a re-assessment at any time after modifying his action."An independent analysis has found the bowling action of Pakistan's offspinner Saeed Ajmal to be illegal and, as such, the player has been suspended from bowling in international cricket with immediate effect," the ICC said. "The analysis revealed that all his deliveries exceeded the 15 degrees level of tolerance permitted under the regulations." Ajmal, however, was hopeful that a medical condition the natural bend in his arm because of an accident - would work in his favour when the appeal is made to the ICC's bowling review group. "I am positive about this and not worried because I believe I can make the World Cup," Ajmal told reporters in Faisalabad. "They are yet to consider my medical reports and once they do it I am sure there shouldn't be any problem. If one has a medical problem then what can he do? So I am 100% positive and hoping for the best." Ajmal is the No. 1 ranked bowler in the ICC ODI rankings and is among the top ten in Tests and Twenty20 internationals. He his the highest wickettaker across formats in the last three years. This was the second instance of Ajmal being reported for a suspect action. In April 2009, the bowler had been reported while bowling the doosra, and was cleared the following month. The issue of suspect bowling actions had come up during the ICC cricket committee meeting in June, where there was a general consensus among members that the current methods used to detect illegal actions were imperfect. It had recommended changes to help match officials get more support from biomechanists in order to identify illegal actions with "more confidence".In the last few months, Sri Lanka offspinner Sachithra Senanayake and New Zealand's Kane Williamson were reported and subsequently banned from bowling due to illegal bowling actions.
Saeed ajmal banned from bowling PCB MULLING OPTIONS AFTER AJMAL BAN LAHORE Staff RepoRt Hours after the PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan said the board would appeal the ban on Saeed Ajmal to an ICC-appointed Bowling Review Group (BRG), the PCB has backtracked from that position and said it was "contemplating its future course of action and weighing all options." "The PCB has referred the matter to its recentlyformed Illegal Bowling Action Committee, which will consider the matter and revert with their views and/or recommendations and the Board shall thereafter decide what action to take", Shaharyar said in a PCB statement. The ICC rules allow the PCB 14 days from the receipt of the report on Ajmal's action to file an appeal. The BRG shall comprise the following persons: a current member of the ICC Code of Conduct Commission (in the Chair and with the casting vote only), a current ICC referee, an ex-international player, an ex-
international umpire and a human movement specialist. The ICC General Manager - Cricket shall be an ex-officio member of the BRG. Earlier today, soon after Ajmal was banned from bowling in international cricket after an independent analysis at the National Cricket Centre in Brisbane found all his deliveries to be illegal, the PCB had seemed more certain of its intention to appeal. Though the PCB was aware that an unsuccessful appeal could lead to Ajmal being banned from bowling in international cricket for a period of time, it said at the time, that it would appeal in order to understand the angles from which Ajmal's action had been analysed. It is understood that the board maintained Ajmal had a medical condition following an accident that affected the movement of his elbow and that had been accepted by the ICC when his action was cleared previously. "Our experts understood that it is the doosra that may be suspected but that proved wrong because his entire action was called illegal," Shaharyar had said
at a press conference earlier in the day. "So that's a concern for us but we are going to appeal because we want to understand if the ICC has covered all the angles or not. An appeal obviously will benefit us because there is the chance that he may be cleared and get back straight away. "Otherwise if the appeal is unsuccessful we are wary of the one-year ban imposed on him, but then again he can remodel his action within the period and return to cricket. We have two weeks to lodge an appeal. We have to face this with courage and go through it without panicking. We have bowlers who can fill in for Ajmal and won't let the team miss him." This was the second instance of Ajmal being reported for a suspect action. In April 2009, the bowler had been reported while bowling the doosra, and was cleared the following month. This was the second instance of Ajmal being reported for a suspect action. In April 2009, the bowler had been reported while bowling the doosra, and was cleared the following month.
Thai fooTballerS offered $1.7m win bonuS
SQUAD CUT DOWN TO SIZE
BANGKOK: Thailand´s footballers will share a $1.7 million bonus if they take gold in the upcoming Asian Games in South Korea, the head of the kingdom´s football association said Tuesday. The generous cash incentive has been offered for the men´s team by a Thai sports magazine publisher who is a big football fan, according to Worawi Makudi, president of the Football Association of Thailand. "If they are champions at the Asian Games, they will get 55 million baht ($1.7 million),” "The association has tried our best to find something that will encourage and motivate them." The football competition, which in the men´s competition is restricted to players aged under 23, starts before the opening ceremony for the Games on September 19. Thailand have never taken gold in football at the regional showpiece and rank 157th in official FIFA charts, below tournament heavyweights China, Japan and both North and South Korea. Their preparations have also been hampered by the omission of key midfielder Jakkaphan Pornsai from the squad due to a clerical error. This year´s edition at Incheon of the Asian Games, dubbed Asia´s Olympics, cost just over $2 billion to host. agencieS
NEW DELHI agencieS
India´s sports ministry on Tuesday slashed the contingent going to the Asian Games in South Korea, leaving out 146 athletes who stood only a slim chance of winning medals. The Indian Olympic Association wanted government approval for a mammoth 942-member squad that included 662 athletes to travel to Incheon for the September 19-October 4 event. But the ministry gave the go-ahead
to only 516 athletes and 163 officials after three weeks of deliberations that ended at Prime Minister Narendra Modi´s door. The contingent will take part in 28 disciplines after several others including bowling, karate, modern pentathlon, rugby, soft tennis and triathlon were axed from India´s original list. "The exercise (to prune the squad) was undertaken to ensure that only deserving athletes, coaches and support personnel are participating in the Games," said a release from sports min-
ister Sarbananda Sonowal´s office. Sonowal took the decision "in consultation with the Prime Minister", the release added. The men´s and women´s football teams, which have been training in China, were given the green light despite media speculation that both could be axed. India had sent 609 athletes in a 933member delegation to the previous Asian Games in Guangzhou, China four years ago. They took part in 35 disciplines and won 65 medals, including 14 golds.
Published by Arif Nizami at Plot # 7, Al-Baber Centre, F/8 Markaz, Islamabad.
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