Pakistan's Mohammad Hafeez Fails Unofficial Bowling Test
Mohammad Hafeez was first reported for a suspect action in the Champions League Twenty20. He was reported again in a Test against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi.
Mohammad Hafeez has failed an unofficial test on his remodeled bowling action in Chennai. The Pakistan all-rounder's result means that the PCB may not apply for an official test and he could be picked in the World Cup squad as a specialist batsman.
The test was conducted at Sri Ramachandra University. According to a report in cricinfo.com, the off-spinner bowled 11 balls and six of them had his arm bending above the 15-degree limit. The average flex in the deliveries bowled over the wicket was 16 degrees. Of the five bowled round the wicket, two had 17 and 19 degrees of flex respectively.
Hafeez, 34, was first reported for a suspect action while playing for Lahore Lions in the Champions League T20. He was reported again in November in the first Test against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi. The ICC found his action to be illegal in December. Analysis had shown that the flex for all his deliveries was above the 15-degree limit.
After the ODIs against New Zealand in the UAE, where he played only as a batsman, Hafeez traveled to Chennai to undergo correct his action.
He is the second off-spinner from Pakistan, after Saeed Ajmal, to be suspended for an illegal action in 2014. Ajmal recently withdrew from the World Cup as his new action needed further work before an official test.