Razzak suspended from bowling in international cricket

Abdur Razzak, the Bangladesh left-arm spinner, has been suspended from bowling in international cricket after independent analysis confirmed his action was suspect under current ICC regulations.

Razzak was initially reported for a suspect bowling action by umpires Daryl Harper and Asoka de Silva after Bangladesh's home series against New Zealand. He subsequently went to Australia to be analysed by Marc Portus, a member of the ICC panel of human movement specialists at the Australian Institute of Sports, as per ICC recommendations.

Portus' analysis showed Razzak bent his arm more than the 15 degrees allowed by the ICC. Razzak retains the right to appeal against the report though he must send a written notification to the ICC within 14 days of receiving it.

According to Portus' report, Razzak's elbow extension ranged between 22 to 28 degrees, averaging 25 degrees; his quicker ball ranged from 22 to 28 degrees with an average of 24 degrees.

If his appeal fails, Razzak can apply for a reassessment once he modifies his action. According to ICC's rules and regulations he can play domestic cricket under supervision and with the consent of the Bangladesh board.

This is the second time Razzak has been reported for the same offence in his career. The first instance was during an Asia Cup match against Pakistan in Colombo in 2004 in what was only his second one-day international.