Devastated by Ban, Saeed Ajmal Strives Hard to Come 'Clean'

Saeed Ajmal, Pakistan's leading bowler in all formats over the last four years, said he felt as if "the ground had been pulled from under" his feet when he was reported and then banned for an illegal bowling action.

The International Cricket Council had reported the world's numero uno ODI bowler after Pakistan's first Test against Sri Lanka in September. Several tests on his bowling action revealed that he bent his arm well beyond the 15 degree rule for all his deliveries. Ajmal was banned with immediate effect, drawing mixed reactions from the cricketing community.

Much to Ajmal's frustration, this was the second time his action was reported. The first instance occurred in 2009, but he was soon cleared upon testing.

"I had been playing for so long and had been cleared [in 2009] and then they did it again," Ajmal told ESPNCricinfo, clearly miffed with the proceedings.

However, once the ban was in place, Ajmal said even he noticed that there was a slight 'change' in his action. (Ajmal Ban Good for Cricket: Lehmann)

"I took out some old videos and compared it to the Sri Lanka series and it seemed to me like some problem had come in the action. I don't know whether it was because I put more into the ball because I wasn't getting wickets. I wasn't getting them out, so maybe I put some more into it and that caused it. But I don't know," he said.

Ajmal's workload and the added weight of expectations from Pakistan may have been a contributing factor to the fallacy of his bowling action. Since making his international debut in 2008, Ajmal has 183 wickets in 111 ODIs and a phenomenal reading of 178 wickets in just 35 Tests, including 10 fifers and four ten-wicket hauls.

Following the ban, former Pakistan spinner Saqlain Mushtaq stepped in to help Ajmal take corrective measures. Saqlain worked with Ajmal in Pakistan and England. ('Pakistan Bowling Finished Without Ajmal')

When Ajmal was reported by the umpiring team of Ian Gould, Bruce Oxenford, Richard Illingworth and match referee Andy Pycroft in Galle, more than 30 of his deliveries were said to be 'potentially' suspect. Three months later, Ajmal is seemingly on the right track to a comeback. The Loughborough University in London, where Ajmal underwent an unofficial test, has endorsed that his stock off-spinners and faster deliveries are 'legal' again but the problem persists with his 'doosra.'

The Pakistan Cricket Board recalled Ajmal from England and asked the spinner to appear in domestic matches in a bid to re-analyse his action internally before asking the ICC to officially test it again.

Under the ICC rules, a suspended bowler's re-modelled action will be compared with the action employed in the match in which he was reported. If the re-assessment concludes that the action is no longer illegal, his suspension shall be lifted and he shall be allowed to bowl at international level instantly. However, if the bowler is found again in breach of the legal limit inside two years of the first report, he risks a one-year ban.