Identify bowlers with suspect actions early: Prasanna

Erapalli Prasanna, the former Indian offspinner, has suggested that the BCCI hold back promising youngsters with a suspect bowling action from international matches, and frame a uniform guideline for rectification of such actions.

"Players with doubtful bowling action who have the potential to make it big should not be exposed to the international stage before their action is remedied," Prasanna told newspersons. His suggestion came in the wake of Monish Parmar, the teenage offspinner, being reported for suspect bowling action during the ICC under-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka.

Prasanna said that he had expressed his views about Parmar's action to the BCCI last year. "But the board picked him for the under-19 tourney, and now he has become the subject of discussions for all the wrong reasons. They should have first rectified his action, and then only allowed him to play the Cup."

He said the corrective measures need to be taken when the bowler is at the under-15 or under-17 levels. "For instance, if I do not like a bowler's action, I tell him immediately, and give a remedial action," said Prasanna, now a bowling consultant at the National Cricket Academy. In this context, Prasanna called upon the board to arrange a thorough discussion on the method of rectification by calling all 'respected bowling exponents'.

"A uniform guideline must then be framed based on the inputs and all the coaches should tune their line of thinking accordingly," he said. Prasanna regretted that till date there was no forum in the BCCI where the matter could be discussed.

"But whenever I got the opportunity, I have broached the matter with officials of the board's Talent Research Development Wing with the hope that something be done centrally," he said. Prasanna, who is currently involved in a six-week Eastern Zonal camp of the NCA, also felt that Javagal Srinath - appointed member of the ICC's Bowling Action Advisory Panel - should take up the issue with the BCCI. "If he takes the initiative, we can sit and discuss the matter with him," he said.

Expressing his opposition to the rule that allows bowlers to straighten their arms upto 15 degree during delivery, Prasanna said "this is creating complications. In my opinion, you either throw the ball, or do not throw the ball. "I think the old system of the on-field umpire calling for chucking whenever they suspected a bowler's action was better. Now, the decision is taken by the umpire who is off the field. But then, a bowler may get a wicket with a suspect action. In the new rule, nothing can be done about it."

Prasanna also hailed the work of the BCCI's spin wing, saying 70% of the 40-45 bowlers who were trained at the NCA were now playing Ranji Trophy.