Shabbir to go to Perth to rectify action

Shabbir Ahmed, the Pakistan fast bowler, will be sent to Australia by the Pakistan Cricket Board in an effort to rectify his bowling action. The ICC has confirmed that Shabbir has been suspended for an indefinite period after an ICC report stated that his arm straightened by up to 27 degrees, well above the permissible 15-degree limit. He will leave for Perth on Monday (July 18).

According to a report in The News, Saleem Altaf, the PCB director, said that the board has asked Daryl Foster, the biomechanics expert from the Australian Cricket Academy, and Bruce Elliott, the expert from the University of Western Australia, to assist in the case. Altaf further added that the board has asked for a report on Shabbir's action from the experts in Perth, after which the report would be sent to the ICC for further action.

Shabbir was reported by the umpires during the first Test of Pakistan's tour of the West Indies in May 2005. He appeared before Dr Paul Hurrian, who is on the ICC panel, in England on June 11 on his way back to Pakistan from the West Indies. The ICC's ruling means that Shabbir will not be allowed to play against England in October unless his action is cleared.