KARACHI: Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez was on Tuesday night cleared by the International Cricket Council (ICC) to resume bowling in international matches following remedial work and reassessment.
According to an ICC media release, the game’s governing body announced that Hafeez’s bowling action had been found to be legal and the off-spinner could resume bowling at the international level.
The bowling action of Hafeez, 37, was reassessed on April 17 at the Loughborough University in England where it was revealed that the amount of elbow extension in his action was within the 15-degree tolerance permitted under the ICC Illegal Bowling Regulations.
However, the ICC said: “The match officials are still at liberty to report Hafeez in the future if they believe he is displaying a suspect action and not reproducing the legal action from the reassessment”.
“To assist the match officials, they will be provided with images and footage of the bowler’s remodeled legal bowling action,” the ICC media release said.
Hafeez, a regular member of the Pakistan one-day side, was first suspended from bowling in December 2014 after being reported for suspect action during a Test series against New Zealand.
But following remedial work on his bowling action he was re-assessed and permitted to resume bowling in April 2015. However, three months later, he was again suspended from bowling for 12 months following a second suspension within 24 months. But he was re-assessed again and permitted to resume bowling in November 2016.
The veteran all-rounder was reported for the third time during the Abu Dhabi ODI against Sri Lanka in October last year and was subsequently suspended in November after an independent assessment revealed he had employed an illegal bowling action.
Published in Dawn, May 2nd, 2018
