PCB forms committee to correct bowling actions

The Pakistan board on Wednesday made it clear that it was serious in its bid to root out the menace of suspect bowling actions from domestic cricket by announcing a detailed policy on the issue.

The board announced the formation of a Bowling Action Committee (BAC) at the National Cricket Academy (NCA), giving it strict guidelines to catch bowlers with suspect bowling actions early in their careers and also to help them out with their actions.

Several leading Pakistan bowlers including Shoaib Akhtar have been reported for illegal bowling actions by match officials in recent years. Shabbir Ahmed, Pakistan's fast-medium bowler, is currently serving a year long ICC ban for having an illegal action.

In a bid to minimise this problem, the PCB has roped in a number of former Pakistani bowlers in the BAC. Waqar Younis, Pakistan's bowling coach, heads the list of the committee members that also includes another former Test cricketer Iqbal Qasim, Anwar Khan (fast bowler), Khizar Hayat (umpire), Nazir Junior (off-spinner) and Shahid Aslam (co-opted member).

The committee would work under the administrative control of Mudassar Nazar, the PCB Director Academies.

In case of umpires or referees suspecting any bowlers action as illegal during the match, they will report the bowler's name along with their comments to the PCB immediately by fax. The PCB will forward the report to the Director Academies for further necessary action as per the approved policy.

After a thorough process of screening the bowlers with suspect actions would start the remedial procedure. In case the BAC decides that the bowling action is still illegal, then the bowler with a suspect action will be given one year more to rectify his action on his own and come back to Director Academies who will arrange to review him and in case of finding the action still illegal, then the bowler will be banned for two years.

The remedial team, consisting Waqar, Nazir Jr, Anwar Khan and Shahid Aslam will work with the players concerned and submit its report along with video and Quintic Analysis to the BAC in four weeks. During this period the player concerned will not be allowed to play any level of cricket.