Pakistan's Mohammad Hafeez handed one-year ban for illegal action

Dubai: Pakistani all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez was on Friday suspended from bowling in international cricket for the next 12 months following an independent assessment of his action, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced. The 34-year-old’s bowling action was tested at the Sri Ramachandra University in Chennai on July 6 after the legality of his bowling action came under question during Pakistan’s first Test victory over Sri Lanka in Galle (June 17-21). [caption id=“attachment_2348470” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File picture of Mohammad Hafeez. AFP[/caption] “Following the match, Hafeez was reported by match officials pursuant to the ICC Regulations for the Review of Bowlers Reported with Suspected Illegal Bowling Actions and subsequently underwent the independent assessment in Chennai in accordance with the regulations. “The assessment revealed that Hafeez’s elbow extension exceeded 15 degrees while bowling and, thus, he employed an illegal bowling action,” ICC said in a statement here. The Pakistani was earlier suspended from bowling in November 2014. Following remedial work on his bowling action, he was reassessed and permitted to resume bowling in April 2015. As this report constitutes the player’s second adverse report within a two-year period – the first of which led to a suspension, he now stands automatically suspended from bowling in international cricket for a 12-month period. Hafeez is entitled to appeal any procedural aspect of an independent assessment that has led to this automatic suspension. However, only after the expiry of this one-year period will he be entitled to approach the ICC for a re-assessment of his bowling action. IANS