Sachin Chaudhari called for suspect action

Sachin Chaudhari, the Maharashtra fast bowler, has been called for an illegal action during a Ranji Trophy match against Hyderabad. This means Chaudhari will be unable to feature in a competitive fixture till his action is cleared by the BCCI.

Umpires Nitin Pandit and Virender Sharma called Chaudhari twice on the penultimate day of the match, which ended in a dull draw at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Uppal. When Chaudhari was called for the third time in the post-lunch session on the final day, he was barred from bowling further in the match.

Ratnakar Shetty, BCCI's general manager - cricket operations, said Chaudhari will now have to work at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore and get his action cleared by an expert three-member committee.

"When a bowler is called during a match by the on-field umpires, he cannot play for his team till his corrected action is approved," Shetty told ESPNcricinfo. "The video footage of the match (when he is called) is sent to the three-member committee and it recommends the corrections in his action and then inspects him again after he undergoes the corrective measures."

The three-member expert committee to look into suspect bowling actions comprises former India captain and international umpire S Venkataraghavan, former international umpire AV Jayaprakash and former India fast bowler and current ICC match referee Javagal Srinath.

The Hyderabad match was 27-year-old Chaudhari's third first-class game, and he had begun the season promisingly, with a 11-wicket match-haul against Tripura that helped Maharashtra open their Ranji Trophy campaign with a nine-wicket win. He is now unlikely to feature in the ongoing domestic season. It is a blow for Maharashtra, who have been hoping to bounce back strongly after being relegated to the bottom-most rung of Ranji Trophy last season.