KARACHI (Reuters) - Banned Pakistan spinner Saeed Ajmal was reported for a suspect action in a domestic match in 2006 but the cricket authorities turned a blind eye until, eight years later and after six years of international cricket, he was suspended from the game.
Ajmal, 36, now faces an uphill battle to revive his Pakistan career after the International Cricket Council (ICC) banned him from bowling following a failed biomechanics test in Brisbane.
"I had reported his action after a first-class match between KRL and Habib Bank because they were problems with some of his deliveries," test umpire Riazuddin said on Pakistan's Geo Super television network.
"Unfortunately I don’t know what happened about the report but no action was taken and he continued to play in domestic cricket."
Saeed’s case is not unique on Pakistan's domestic circuit, where bowlers with suspect actions have been allowed to carry on playing despite reservations from match officials.
"No-one in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has ever taken this problem seriously," Pakistan’s former captain Rashid Latif told Reuters.
"There are cases of bowlers, who clearly straighten their arm more than the permitted 15 degrees angle, being allowed to carry on playing.
"But now with the new protocol put in place by the ICC for (testing) bowlers with suspect actions, the PCB realises it has to be proactive and not reactive. That is why they have set up the illegal bowling action committee."
Ajmal, 36, now faces an uphill battle to revive his Pakistan career after the International Cricket Council (ICC) banned him from bowling following a failed biomechanics test in Brisbane.
"I had reported his action after a first-class match between KRL and Habib Bank because they were problems with some of his deliveries," test umpire Riazuddin said on Pakistan's Geo Super television network.
"Unfortunately I don’t know what happened about the report but no action was taken and he continued to play in domestic cricket."
Saeed’s case is not unique on Pakistan's domestic circuit, where bowlers with suspect actions have been allowed to carry on playing despite reservations from match officials.
"No-one in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has ever taken this problem seriously," Pakistan’s former captain Rashid Latif told Reuters.
"There are cases of bowlers, who clearly straighten their arm more than the permitted 15 degrees angle, being allowed to carry on playing.
"But now with the new protocol put in place by the ICC for (testing) bowlers with suspect actions, the PCB realises it has to be proactive and not reactive. That is why they have set up the illegal bowling action committee."