Elliott to reassess Shabbir's action

The ICC has confirmed that Professor Bruce Elliott of the University of Western Australia has been appointed to reassess the bowling action of suspended Pakistan fast bowler Shabbir Ahmed.

The ICC also said the one-year ban on Shabbir expires on December 19 and not earlier as stated in some reports.

"The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has applied to the ICC for reassessment of Shabbir's bowling action and the ICC has confirmed the appointment of Prof. Bruce Elliott to carry out reassessment," an ICC spokesman said. "The ICC looks forward to receiving the reassessment report from Prof Elliott in due course.

"It should be noted no bowler is ever cleared as they could simply revert to bad habits. All bowlers are subject to further reporting if match officials are of the view that they have concerns about whether a delivery or deliveries conform to the laws of cricket when observed with the naked eye," he explained.

Shabbir was suspended for 12 months after he was reported twice within a two-year period of the first report, firstly in May 2005 then during England's tour in November. He was cleared last month after tests carried out at the University of Western Australia showed his action to be within the 15 degree limit set out by ICC. The PCB said that its report will need to be cleared by the ICC before he is eligible for selection.