Pakistan cricket chiefs have revealed that they are seeking a reassessment of banned ace off-spinner Saeed Ajmal's bowling action in a bid to clear him before next year's World Cup.
Ajmal, whose action was deemed illegal in September, was suspended from bowling at international level after a bio-mechanical analysis of his action which was reported as suspect during the Galle Test against Sri Lanka in August.
After placing him in a corrective programme, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said that it was ready to have the off-spinner's action re-tested by the International Cricket Council (ICC), The Dawn reported.
The PCB said in a statement that they have sent an email to the ICC for Ajmal's official bowling reassessment and are waiting for a date.
Ajmal's suspension had disrupted Pakistan's planning for the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in February-March, since Ajmal has been their main wicket-taker.
The veteran off-spinner has 178 Test, 183 ODI and 85 Twenty20 wickets. But without Ajmal Pakistan won 2-0 in a Test series against Australia, their first win over the opponents in 20 years, as left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar and leg spinner Yasir Shah came to the fore.
Ajmal's assessment in Australia showed his extension was nearly 43 degrees. During the remedial work Ajmal underwent two unofficial tests at Loughborough University in England.
PCB chairman Shahryar Khan said that he was now confident of passing. He said that Ajmal called him from London after his unofficial tests and showed confidence that he would get cleared.
Under the ICC rules a suspended bowler's remodeled action would be compared with the action employed in the match in which he was reported. If the re-assessment concludes that the action is no longer illegal, his suspension shall be lifted and he shall be allowed to bowl at international level instantly.
But if the cleared bowler is found again in breach of the legal limit inside two years of the first report, he risks a one-year ban, the report added.
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