Bangladesh coach furious at ICC for questioning bowling actions of Taskin Ahmed and Arafat Sunny

As news came trickling in that the duo of Taskin Ahmed and Arafat Sunny had been warned by the ICC for throwing, Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusingha vented his frustration on the entire situation. ESPNCricinfo reported the 47-year old lashing out at the officials of cricket’s apex body for issuing alerts on the bowling actions of two of his team’s key bowlers.

While Ahmed and Sunny have been allowed to bowl for the remainder of the qualifiers, they must undergo testing within seven days of the report. This means that the procedure has to be completed before the second round begins, should Bangladesh go on to qualify.

Hathurusingha did not mince any words in expressing his disappointment. He lamented, "If they have a concern about my bowlers, I have a concern about their [ICC's] actions as well. I don't see anything wrong. They have bowled the same way as the last 12 months. As you said if they [ICC officials] have officiated the matches they have been playing, they must have seen something different yesterday. That's all I can say.”

The aforementioned report was submitted by on-field umpire Rod Tucker of Australia to match referee Andy Pycroft of Zimbabwe. It is widely known that both Tucker and Pycroft were part of the officiating team when Bangladesh clinched a historic 2-1 victory in the 2015 ODI series.

Taskin and Arafat played during that series too. When asked if they would be made to re-model their actions, Hathurusingha asserted, "It's about how you take it. As bowlers they are strong enough to understand what they are doing is right. We also think that we have no concern. They have played so much cricket, recently as well. It is a surprise for us. We have to take their concerns. They are only concerns at this stage. I don't think it will affect the way we are playing.”

The Sri Lankan also reiterated his opinion that their actions were clean. Bangladesh are currently participating in the World T20 Qualifiers where they are slotted alongside Netherlands, Ireland and Oman in Group A.