Prosper Utseya's action found to be illegal

Zimbabwe offspinner Prosper Utseya has been banned from bowling in international cricket after his action was found to exceed the ICC's 15-degree limit. Utseya was tested at an accredited facility in Cardiff and all of his deliveries were deemed illegal.

Utseya must now undergo remedial work on his action and apply for retesting. A Zimbabwe Cricket release said they were looking for "relevant technical expertise to work with Utseya to modify his action in the shortest possible time, after which an application will be made to the ICC for his re-assessment."

Utseya can resume bowling in international cricket only after remedied action is cleared, but can play at domestic level at the Zimbabwe Cricket's discretion.

Utseya was reported by the ICC's match officials following the third ODI against South Africa in Bulawayo in August. The ICC umpires have been strict with identifying illegal actions in recent months and bans have been handed out to Pakistan's Saeed Ajmal and Sri Lanka's Sachithra Senanayake among others, after both were found guilty of breaking the 15-degree flex rule.

A similar drive was undertaken in the recent Champions League T20, during which West Indies spinner Sunil Narine was banned from bowling in the final and other BCCI-organised tournaments like the IPL.