Botha's action far from suspect, says Abrahams

Johan Botha's action is examined in Perth after he was reported in his debut Test © Getty Images

Johan Botha, the South African offspinner who had been suspended because of a dodgy action, has received support from his countryman and former offspinner Shafiek Abrahams. Abrahams, who played a solitary ODI in 2000, felt that the equipment used in England recently to evaluate Botha's action was below standard and outdated.

He also added that it was strange that Botha's action was within the prescribed 15 degrees when he was tested in South Africa. "It is incomprehensible that Johan's action has again been found to be illegal," Abrahams told News24.com. "This is really laughable. He was tested several times in South Africa and his action was far under the prescribed mark of 15 degrees. However, in England it appeared well over the mark.

"Even with the naked eye one can see his action looks good. A bowler's action cannot change so much overnight. There are many other bowlers in world cricket whose action does not look as good as Johan's.

"There are many more cameras and other equipment at the Institute of Sports Sciences than at the ICC's centre," said Abrahams. "I know people at Cricket SA are unhappy about the test. They are drawing up a report. Much money has been wasted to have Johan tested."

Tim Noakes, head of the Sports Science Institute at Newlands, was also baffled by the result of the recent test. "The result of the test [done in England] shows that Botha now bends his arm more than he did when he was originally tested in Australia. This means all the work we did during the past few months has made his action worse," Noakes was quoted as saying on the Supercricket website.

Noakes was doubtful about the English test. "This is not a simple test in which the guy's arm is measured while it is flat on the ground. You measure the movement in his bowling action, and that happens very quickly. You have a specific model that you have to use. The Australians in Perth use the same model as we do. The people in England use another model."

Noakes also claimed that when Botha was tested in Cape Town for the first time after the test in Perth, the result was almost the same. "The difference between the results was less than half a degree. In science, you try, as far as possible, to repeat tests in precisely the same manner to obtain the best results."

Botha's action was reported in his debut Test against Australia at Sydney in January 2006 and he was suspended after tests in Perth. He will again be tested at Newlands on Thursday. If his action is shown to be legal, Cricket SA will request that he be tested again in Perth.