Saeed Ajmal's PCB contract suspended after outburst against the ICC

Ajmal had accused the ICC of only targetting off-spinners for suspect action

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have taken strong action against off-spinner Saeed Ajmal for his recent outburst against the International Cricket Council (ICC) by suspending his contract, ESPNCricinfo reports.

Ajmal, who has been less effective since having made to remodel his action after being reported for suspect action in 2014, had launched a scathing attack on the sport’s governing body accusing them of setting double standards when it came to dealing with the issue of chucking, The 38-year-old feels only off-spinners are being targetted while the other bowlers are being given too much freedom.

"Why just target the off-spinners?"Ajmal asked in interviews with Zainab Abbas on Dunya News and with Geo Super. "Why not the left-arm spinners, leg spinners or fast bowlers? I can tell you that I have been through this bowling assessment process so many times and have watched and studied this issue so closely that I can vouch that if tests were carried out, there would be many other bowlers whose bowling actions would exceed the 15 degrees extension limit."

He also accused Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh of possessing an illegal bowling action.

"If they put Harbhajan Singh through a proper bowling assessment test now, I can safely tell you he will exceed the 15 degrees limit," he had said.

The PCB had issued a show-cause notice to Ajmal following his outburst and after further discussions on the matter have now decided to suspend his contract handed out by the board. The central contracts announced by the PCB in early September had seen Ajmal demoted to a Grade B contract following his poor form since returning to international cricket.

In fact, Ajmal’s last match for Pakistan came way back in April after he was dropped from the side after failing to impress against Bangladesh. Speaking to reporters after announcing the punishment handed out to Ajmal, PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan revealed that an explanation has been sought from Ajmal for his comments.

"I am disappointed what Saeed said recently and we have taken a minimum action against him by suspending [his contract] and held his monthly retainer. We have also asked him to write to us about why he talked like that. We have always supported him, helped him throughout in his tough time and even hired Saqlain Mushtaq to work on his action," the PCB chief said.

The news came on the day when another Pakistan cricketer, Umar Akmal, was dropped on disciplinary grounds from the T20 squad for the series against England after he attended a party without permission while his state side was competing in a match.