Yet, another Pakistan bowler reported for illegal action for seven occasions in the final of the 3 match match against Zimbabwe.
Off-spinner, Bilal Asif has been reported for suspect action following the third ODI against Zimbabwe in Harare. Asif, 30, had made his international debut in the second game of the series, and took figures of 5 for 25 in the third ODI to help Pakistan win the series 2-1.
“Bilal’s action has been reported after the third ODI we are following the procedure with the ICC,” Intikhb Alam, Pakistan’s team manager, told a cricket specific website. A total of eight deliveries from Asif were reported during the third ODI by the match officials.
Now, Asif will have to get his action tested at an ICC approved facility within two weeks of the Pakistan Cricket Board receiving the report from the ICC, but he is eligible to bowl in international until the result of the test is out.
Asif is the third Pakistan bowlers who reported for dubious action. The development is a setback because Asif had been retained in the ODI squad in Zimbabwe after not playing the preceding T20Is-because they wanted to assess him ahead of the series against England in the UAE.
After Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Hafeez were banned from bowling in international cricket Pakistan’s spin stock depleted. However, Hafeez is not freed to bowl for one and half year, while Saeed Ajmal, who was banned from international cricket just before the 2015 World Cup, now freed to play in international cricket, but PCB ignored him for the England series as the they found him ineffective after remedying his illegal actions. With Yasir Shah now the only spinner in Pakistan’s rank as Bilal’s reported action is a huge setback for Pakistan ahead of the series against England in the UAE.
Asif had played only 11 first class matches, 21 List A games and nine T20 match over a four year period before making his debut for Pakistan. He was considered to have a clean bowling action among the many contenders in domestic cricket, and though he wasn’t a full-time bowler his recent successes had got him noticed by the selectors.