Ajmal claims special concession to 15 degree rule allowed by ICC

[ganeshran]

Saeed Ajmal, Man of the Series as Pakistan whitewashed England 3-0 in the UAE, has sparked confusion over his bowling action by giving an interview in which he appeared to claim that he has special dispensation to exceed the 15-degree tolerance limit currently permitted by the ICC.

In an interview with the BBC, Ajmal volunteered the belief that the ICC has allowed him 23.5 degrees of flexion to compensate for an accident in which he injured his arm. The ICC, however, were quick to reject the suggestion.

Ajmal said: "Someone is telling me my action is bad because the ICC allowed me as a bowler 23.5 degrees, because my arm is not good. A few years ago I had an accident. Otherwise, no problem, the action was cleared by ICC."

An ICC spokeman denied that was the case. "There is no dispensation for anyone," he said. "It is worth remembering that his first language is not English and this may have been a slip of the tongue."

It may be that Ajmal, having bamboozled England's batsmen all series, was simply leaving his best trick until last. Renowned for his sense of humour, it could be that Ajmal, who started the series talking of a teesra delivery that never materialised, was simply joking.

Ajmal tormented the England batsmen in all three Tests, claiming 24 wickets in the series at an average of just 14.7. Their inability to distinguish between his off-break and doosra caused particular confusion and vastly reduced the effectiveness of England's much-vaunted middle order. Ian Bell, Eoin Morgan and Kevin Pietersen all failed to average more than 13.

While Bob Willis, the former England captain turned pundit, had raised concerns about Ajmal's action at the start of the series, the England team have been reluctant to be dragged into any controversy. Consequently, they have stuck to the line that it is job of the umpires and the ICC to scrutinise bowlers' actions.

However, Andy Flower, the England coach, expressed his surprise after being told of Ajmal's remarks. "If that's the degree, then there's a problem," Flower said. "That's ridiculous.

"That is an ICC issue, though. They are there to police the game, and make sure that it is played within the rules, so they've got to scrutinise his action. We've all got our own views, but our job is to combat whoever is put against us, and part of it is also to play the game in the right spirit."

Pakistan v England 2011-12: Saeed Ajmal comment sparks action confusion | Cricket News | Global | ESPN Cricinfo

Is there a provision for such relaxation in in the rule book?

[Spark]

wtf?

[fredfertang]

He's pulling their chain, and fair play to him for doing so - stupid questions deserve stupid answers

[Cevno]

Think something has been lost in translation/comprehension or some sort of language problem.

[smalishah84]

lol....

this statement doesn't even clearly say what he is trying to say

"Ajmal said: "Someone is telling me my action is bad because the ICC allowed me as a bowler 23.5 degrees, because my arm is not good. A few years ago I had an accident. Otherwise, no problem, the action was cleared by ICC."

[Spark]

His English isn't very good IIRC, so language problems are a good bet.

[ganeshran]

Mods please change the title if it was a comment made in jest.

[uvelocity]

didn't sound like jest if you watch the short video linked in the cricinfo article (interview)

[G.I.Joe]

Where did the number 23.5 come from?

[DocHead]

I assume tomorrow's headline in one the English tabloids will be something along the lines of "**** ace cops to chucking charge"

[uvelocity]

Originally Posted by G.I.Joe

Where did the number 23.5 come from?

ajmal

[silentstriker]

lolwut?

[Agent Nationaux]

He probably meant that the ICC allows him a bent arm of 23 degrees, but he can't straighten that more than the normal rule of 15 degrees. In fact IIRC Ajmal is incapable of straightening more than 8 degrees due to his accident.

[silentstriker]

ICC should reply with this.

[Spark]

Originally Posted by Agent Nationaux

He probably meant that the ICC allows him a bent arm of 23 degrees, but he can't straighten that more than the normal rule of 15 degrees. In fact IIRC Ajmal is incapable of straightening more than 8 degrees due to his accident.

That concerns me if so. 23 degrees is ****ing enormous.