**“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 ICC said in a statement.
“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.” Read: ‘Team management refuses to include Ajmal for World Cup’](http://www.dawn.com/news/1161719)
According to Pakistan Cricket Board’s senior media manager, Raza Kitchlew, Ajmal’s inclusion in Pakistan’s World Cup squad was unlikely but they would wait on the ICC Technical Committee’s word on the matter.
“The 15-man squad is already complete and even in the case of an injury, the ICC’s Technical Committee would have to approve of any change. The Pakistan selection committee, then, would obviously use its discretion. But that aside, I think we must all be glad that Ajmal is now cleared to play international cricket again,” Kitchlew told Dawn.com
Saeed Ajmal was suspended from bowling after the ICC had declared his action as illegal in September 2014. He was initially reported for a suspect action during a Test match against Sri Lanka.
Bangladesh’s Sohag Gazi was banned over an illegal bowling action in Oct 2014 after he was reported in a match against the West Indies in August 2014. Also read: ICC bans Saeed Ajmal from bowling
Ajmal, who had undergone biomachanic tests in Chennai on Jan 24, is now clear to play international cricket but his inclusion in the Pakistan squad for the upcoming World Cup remains unlikely.
Earlier during the week, a key Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official told Dawn on the condition of anonymity that the Pakistan Team Management had responded by saying that, “We don’t need Ajmal even if he gets cleared by the ICC for his bowling action,” when the proposal was forwarded by PCB.
Confident of having his bowling action cleared by the International Cricket Council (ICC) after undergoing an official test last monthAjmal had ruled himself out of Pakistan’s World Cup plans.
Under the ICC rules all teams can replace a player before the Feb 7 deadline, a week before the World Cup starts.
Pakistan will play its first match against title-holders India in Adelaide on February 15.
first, we have no idea how his new action looks like and can he even bowl doosra anymore?
second, he will be under huge stress fearing that umpires may call a no ball again…we cant afford a confused and scared bowler against india or in the WC at all. imagine he cannot bowl doosra plus he is under stress. deadly combo
third, he has not played any competitive cricket for few months now…how is his fitness? he is pathetic in the field to start with
he shd go and ball more and more in the first class cricket to cement his action
ethan bhai, just because we are desperate right now does not mean we take another desperate as well as strategically pathetic step.
it is not the same saeed ajmal...he was bowling with 40+ bent especially to bowl those doosrars..and now he has brought it under 15..huge modification to his action. how has this modification impacted his action? no one knows. he himself does not know. he has zero match practice with this new action..not even in the first class cricket. and you want him to play in the WC right away?
plus umpires can call a no ball on his actionagain. he will be worried.
True… but he must have practised his new action a zillion times already to have passed the ICC retests. Whether he will be as effective as before with his new action, remains to be seen
Ajmal won’t matter so much against India (they play spin well) as against teams like SA, Windies and Zimbabwe
I don’t want to sound too pessimistic but there is a fair chance Pakistan might not even progress beyond the group stage
Current batsmen do not inspire much confidence in me even though batting has traditionally been our weakest link.
Current bowling is an absolute joke apart from Irfan and Afridi.
it will take something special to beat SA or India
against Windies our chances are 50-50
Even Zimbabwe and Ireland must fancy their chances of beating us
Our desperation is such that he must be included imo.
True... but he must have practised his new action a zillion times already to have passed the ICC retests
Ajmal won't matter so much against India (they play spin well) as against teams like Aus, Windies and Zimbabwe
I don't want to sound too pessimistic but there is a fair chance Pakistan not progress beyond the group stage
Current batsmen do not inspire much confidence in me even though batting has traditionally been our weakest link.
Current bowling is an absolute joke apart from Irfan and Afridi. Irfan.
will take something special to beat Aus or India
against Windies our chances are 50-50
Even Zimbabwe and Ireland must fancy their chances of beating us
Our desperation is such that he must be included imo.
fair enough............this bowling is so pathetic that you want to kill yourself..just look at it
Sohail Khan 5 ODIs...
Ehsan Adil played 2 ODIs
Rahat Ali 1 ODIs,
Yasir Shah 0 ODIs
and batting has always been pathetic plus so inexperienced . so I also have serious doubts against ireland.
but i still firmly believe that this is in saeed's benefit not to bowl yet. bowling in net is totally different. you can bowl million balls there but when you get hit for 2 straight sixes in the real match, it is a different game. simply put, he has zero match practice with the new action
we dont want his action to be called no ball again.
ethan bhai, just because we are desperate right now does not mean we take another desperate as well as strategically pathetic step.
it is not the same saeed ajmal...he was bowling with 40+ bent especially to bowl those doosrars..and now he has brought it under 15..huge modification to his action. how has this modification impacted his action? no one knows. he himself does not know. he has zero match practice with this new action..not even in the first class cricket. and you want him to play in the WC right away?
plus umpires can call a no ball on his actionagain. he will be worried.
I guess you're right phoenix sahab. :/
All I can do is pray that pakistan wins against INDIA.
I don't think the management will include Ajmal right away but I expect someone (most likely Sohail Khan) to 'get injured' during a training session in the WC and be replaced by Ajmal...esp. if there is hope of Pakistan making the QFs etc.
first, we have no idea how his new action looks like and can he even bowl doosra anymore?
second, he will be under huge stress fearing that umpires may call a no ball again....we cant afford a confused and scared bowler against india or in the WC at all. imagine he cannot bowl doosra plus he is under stress. deadly combo
third, he has not played any competitive cricket for few months now...how is his fitness? he is pathetic in the field to start with
he shd go and ball more and more in the first class cricket to cement his action
REUTERS: Pakistan’s ace off-spinner Saeed Ajmal, who was cleared to bowl after passing biomechanic tests on his remodelled action, said he was not an automatic selection for the World Cup in the event a player in the 15-man squad was injured.
The bowling actions of Ajmal and Sohag Gazi of Bangladesh were deemed legal by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Saturday, a week before the start of the World Cup.
The ICC said Ajmal and Bangladesh spinner Gazi had been re-tested in Chennai last month and cleared to resume bowling in international cricket.
“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.
But Ajmal, who had pulled out of Pakistan’s World Cup preliminary squad in December, said he was fully backing the 15-man squad which is already in Australia and would not consider himself an automatic selection if a player suffers an injury. “I do not want to get back into the team on the basis of my past performances. I want it to be a merit-based selection. 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 it,” 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.
