PCB hires bowling coach Carl Crowe to correct Mohammad Hafeez's action

Karachi: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has hired a bowling coach Carl Crowe in the United Kingdom to help Mohammad Hafeez correct his action before he takes the ICC bowling assessment test in England. A senior official of the PCB confirmed to PTI on Sunday that Crowe has already started working with Hafeez since the last three days in Worcestershire, where Pakistan played a tour match before the third Test against England at Edgbaston. [caption id=“attachment_2926384” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez. AFP[/caption] “Crowe has worked a lot with West Indian spinner Sunil Narine and the results were good. Crowe’s name was recommended to us also by the team management,” the official said. A 12-month ban on Hafeez from bowling in international cricket expired on 12 July and as per ICC rules and regulations governing bowlers who have been suspended for illegal bowling actions, Hafeez is now eligible to appear in a bowling assessment test. The official said if everything went well then Hafeez would undergo the bowling assessment test before the one-day series against England. “He was not working on his bowling action due to his knee injury which has now improved a lot and he himself is keen to play and bowl in the one-day series,” he said. The PCB had left it to Hafeez to decide when he was ready to take the ICC bowling assessment test. Crowe is said to have a greater understanding of the motion analysis system with a minimum of 12 high speed cameras capable of producing three-dimensional data which is used in the bowling assessment tests conducted under ICC protocol. Hafeez has faced problems with his bowling action since 2014 and in July 2015 was banned from bowling in international cricket for 12 months after his action was found to be illegal for a second time since November 2014. Hafeez, 35, had his bowling action reported last year after the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle in June. The all-rounder was a key player for Pakistan before his bowling action was reported as he took 52 wickets in 47 Tests and another 129 ODI and 46 wickets in T20 Internationals.