5 spinners whose careers got affected due to suspect bowling action

Caption The issue of suspect actions has gained momentum over the last one-and-a-half years, particularly from the time that International Cricket Council (ICC) has revised its policies regarding it. ICC's proactive campaign to clamp down on illegal bowling actions has seen several high-profile cricketers being suspended from international and domestic cricket. Pakistan's Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Hafeez were previously reported and subsequently suspended from international cricket, while West Indies offspinner Sunil Narine was disqualified from bowling in the 2014 Champions League T20, after being reported in two successive matches.While most of these talented spinners have come back to international cricket, it has been seen that their remodelled actions have not been equally efficient. Here is a look at five spinners whose careers were affected because of suspect bowling actions:

#1 Sunil Narine (West Indies)

Sunil Narine’s mystery balls no longer mystify batsmen

West Indies mystery offspinner Sunil Narine was reported for a suspected illegal bowling action during the 2014 Champions League Twenty20 in the group-league match between his side Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and the Dolphins. The charge was specifically related to Narine's quicker ball.

He was banned from bowling in the finalof the tournament, against Chennai Super Kings.

Consequently, Narine skipped West Indies' tour of India later that month, and said that he wanted to handle the rehabilitation process on his own. Despite not having played any competitive cricket since then, Narine was surprisingly picked for the 2015 World Cup squad. However, he withdrew from the World Cup stating that he needed more time with his remodelled action.

Narine had rose to fame while playing for KKR in the Indian Premier League (IPL) when even the best batsmen couldn’t read his spin. He was the highest wicket-taker in 2014 season and second-highest in 2012. He returned to 2015 IPL after correcting it and was again reported for illegal action by the BCCI. Since then, his bowling has lost its tooth and Narine has been extracting substantially lesser turn than before.

He picked seven wickets from eight matches in IPL 2015 as compared to 21 wickets from 16 matches in the previous season.

#2 Saeed Ajmal (Pakistan)

Pakistan national selectors have been ignoring him because of his illegal action

Ajmal’s action always raised several doubts, especially when he bowled the doosra. He was the backbone of the Pakistan side and was one of the prime reasons for their overseas success.

He was reported while bowling against Sri Lanka in August 2014 and in what was a big blow to Pakistan cricket, he was banned the following month. Shortly after being reported, it was found that he illegally straightened his arm by more than 15 degrees in all of his deliveries, which was not permissible.

Spin great Saqlain Mushtaq worked on his action and he was cleared just a week before the World Cup 2015. However, it was too late and he couldn’t participate in the quadrennial event. He returned to international cricket in April 2015, but has not been able to replicated his old magic which got him over 440 wickets.

Ajmal and ICC have recently got into a spat. Left frustrated that his international career was derailing and he wasn’t being picked in the team, the 38-year old lashed out at the ICC. He said that the world body's rules on the issue make no sense and will kill the art of off-spin bowling or doosra.

#3 Johan Botha (South Africa)

Johan Botha’s career never took off because of his doubtful bowling actions

Former South Africa spinner Johan Botha, who then went onto play and captain for South Australia (SA) has always been under scrutiny since the time he stepped onto the international field. He was reported soon after his debut Test in January 2006 and was subsequently banned from bowling by the ICC. In November that year, he was cleared.

The South African all-rounder’s problems didn’t end there and he was reported again in April 2009, following an ODI against Australia. After this, he was banned from bowling the doosra. His other deliveries, however, were found to be within permissible limits and since then Botha had no problems with his action, up until 2013.

In 2013, Botha's action was queried by the umpires following SA's opening domestic match against Victoria and had to undergo biomechanical analysis. He was finally cleared and allowed to bowl. However, constant banning and testing has resulted in him having a stop-start career and his exclusion from the South African team.

#4 Pragyan Ojha (India)

Pragyan Ojha lost his place in the Indian team due to his suspected action

Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha was barred from bowling in competitive cricket after his action was found to be illegal in December, 2014. A request was made by the Hyderabad Cricket Association, Ojha's home association in domestic cricket. His action was tested at the ICC-recognised centre in Chennai. The tests concluded that the spinner’s elbow flexed more than the permissible limit of 15 degrees.

Following this, he could not play in competitive cricket till his action was cleared, and was subsequently withdrawn from Hyderabad's squad for their 2014-2015 Ranji Trophy season.

His doubtful arm action had been under the scanner for quite some time. This was one of the reasons why he disappeared from the national selectors' radar despite being one of the quickest Indian bowlers to reach 100 Test wickets.

Following this, Ojha has been unable to break into the Indian team, signifying another bright career cut short because of suspect bowling.

#5 Sachitra Senanayake (Sri Lanka)

Sachitra Senanayake is no longer the mystery spinner that he used to be

It came as a major blow to Sri Lankan cricket, when Sachitra Senanayake was banned from bowling in international cricket in July 2014. Lot of Sri Lankan hopes rested on this mystery off-spinner as he was the most successful and economical bowler for them in the one-day series against England in 2014.

He was booked for breach of the 15-degree elbow extension permitted under ICC rules. The 29-year-old had made 51 appearances since his debut in January 2012, becoming a regular in the side before this incident in 2014. In the series against England, he claimed eight wickets for 100 in the series at an economy rate of less than four per over. He contributed to World T20 and Asia Cup victories as well.

He changed his bowling action and went more side-on. He was cleared in December last year, ahead of Sri Lanka’s New Zealand tour. However, he surely has lost the efficiency or is maybe not willing to experiment anymore, fearing suspension.