Malik available for first Test against Australia

Shoaib Malik has his action tested at the University of Western Australia © Getty Images

Shoaib Malik is free to play for Pakistan in Thursday's first Test against Australia as the report on his suspect bowling action will not be completed in time.

The offspinner Malik, 22, has been undergoing analysis for a suspect bowling action, which was reported to the ICC in October. Human movement specialists at the University of Western Australia have analysed his stock deliveries and they expect to know the angle of his elbow extension within several days. Their findings will then be passed on to the ICC but, whatever the outcome, the results will come too late for the start of the first Test - leaving Malik available for the match.

"The rules say until the report goes through to the ICC he can still bowl in a Test," Daryl Foster, who oversaw the testing, told the Australian Associated Press. "The report hasn't gone to the Pakistan board. I doubt whether it will go there before the start of the [Perth] Test. It takes a couple of days to digitise all the information, write the report and send it to Pakistan. Then they've got to send it to the ICC, so if it gets there before Christmas it will be doing well."