2nd Test: West Indies v Bangladesh at Gros Islet

More to come
Ex-WI pacer warns region over illegal actions

By Garth Wattley
Story Created: Sep 10, 2014 at 11:46 PM ECT
Express

As more bowlers run afoul of the authorities because of illegal actions, a former West Indies fast bowler says the region must pay more attention to its cricketers.

Tony Gray says the West Indies must take early action over suspect actions. His statement came yesterday after news that Bangladesh seam bowler Al-Amin Hossain was reported by the match officials after the first Test against the West Indies in St Vincent which ended on Tuesday. Hossain will now have to undergo biomechanical testing within 21 days, but will be allowed to continue bowling in that time.

On Tuesday, the world’s leading one-day bowler, off-spinner Saeed Ajmal of Pakistan was banned from bowling also because of an illegal action and will have to undergo remedial work. Last December West Indies off-spinner Shane Shillingford’s action was reported, along with teammate Marlon Samuels who was banned from bowling his faster ball. Shillingford has since been cleared to resume playing. And Gray says, history should be a warning to the authorities now.

“With Shillingford being banned, (Jermaine Lawson (fast bowler between 2001 and 2005) being banned, Sunil Narine, (Kevon) Cooper having to go for remedial work in Australia, I think that we need to pay particular interest in the actions of bowlers...Prevention is better than cure,” Gray told the Express.

The former WI pacer of the 1980s and national Under-19 coach said further that, “the West Indies Cricket Board need to set up committees to look at the youth team tournament...not just at the Under-19, but the Under-15s and the Under-17s. It’s much more important at that level because you don’t want them to get up to the Under-19s where it’s more difficult to rectify (illegal actions).”

Ajmal and Hossain bring to five the number of bowlers in recent months in international cricket who have had their actions reported, joining Hossain’s teammate Sohag Gazi (during the one-day series), and New Zealand part-time spinner Kane Williamson and Sri Lanka’s Sachithra Senanayake who were suspended in July.

Gray said he expected more bowlers to be reported and argued that the ICC’s ruling that allows bowlers to straighten their bowling arm up to 15 degrees was doing more harm than good.
“The 15 degrees stipulation has encouraged people to perhaps not be as fluent as they need to be,” Gray said, adding that, “there are a lot of players whose actions have question marks behind them all over the world. I’m surprised that Ajmal is now being called because all the time, to bowl the doosra to that degree...you watch his arm as it goes over in slow motion, you knew it was illegal for a long time.”

The ex-pacer also said coaches had to take responsibility for the current situation.
“The coaching in all parts of the world has to be looked at, because if you have players coming through at that level to play international cricket, illegally throwing the ball, then it has to be down to the coaching and it has to be the mindset of this 15 degrees that allows a certain degree of bending of the arm.”