BCB to review more than 13 suspect actions

The BCB's bowling action review committee will assess the suspected bowling actions of at least 13 bowlers who were reported during this season's Dhaka Premier League. The committee's head, Jalal Yunus, said that they will also bring an expert from Cardiff Metropolitan University, which is one of ICC's accredited testing centres for suspect bowling actions.

The committee was formed during last Sunday's board meeting, three months after BCB president Nazmul Hassan had said that they will weed out illegal bowling actions from domestic cricket in wake of the suspensions of Taskin Ahmed and Arafat Sunny, during the World T20 in March.

In the first week of the DPL, six bowlers were reported by the umpires - Naeem Islam jnr, Faisal Hossain, Moinul Islam, Rejaul Karim, Amit Kumar, and offspinner Mustafizur Rahman, who was reported twice. They, along with several others, will be tested next month, after the Eid vacations.

"We have a meeting on Tuesday to decide the committee's modus operandi," Yunus said. "At least 13 to 14 bowlers have been reported during this Dhaka Premier League. We will start working with them after Eid. We will assess their bowling actions in the nets. Omar Khaled was a former spinner and Dipu Roy Chowdhury and Golam Faruk are former pace bowlers who will work according to their areas. If we find deviation in their bowling through the naked eye and cameras, we will have to rectify them.

"Afterwards, if we see the correction is consistent, they can play in next year's league. If they are reported again, they will be banned for a year. We will work with bowlers in the NCL, BCL, BPL, the Dhaka Premier League, Dhaka First Division and Second Division and age-group."

Yunus said they are in touch with the ICC for technological assistance and have also contacted the Cardiff centre for personnel to be sent to Dhaka to guide the committee, which will also invite local bowling coaches to help out with the process. He, however, said that the BCB doesn't plan to build a testing centre of its own just yet.

"We are not experienced at reviewing a bowling action, so we will bring an outside expert. We will need a dedicated space because this process also requires technological assistance. We have a long gap now and we are now well-equipped to tackle this issue.

"Building a lab within ICC's protocol is going to be very expensive. We want to start with minimum costs. We have written to the ICC for technical assistance. We are also hoping to bring experts from Cardiff on a temporary basis," he said.

Meanwhile, the second bowing action tests of Sunny and Taskin will be completed before Bangladesh's international commitments begin in October, against England at home. Yunus said that the actions of both bowlers were video-taped during the DPL, and will now be assessed by the Bangladesh's coaching staff.

"Arafat Sunny and Taskin Ahmed are not within our jurisdiction. The national team's management is working with them. Their rehab is ongoing," Yunus said. "Their videos from the Dhaka Premier League will be assessed soon, and if it is satisfactory and we are fully confirmed, they will go for a second bowling action test and it will be before the next international assignment."