10 Bowlers Suspended for Illegal Bowling Action Throwing

Pakistani off-spinner Saeed Ajmal is the 10th bowler who is suspend for his illegal bowling action throwing since 1999 after Muralitharan’s controversy. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has declared Pakistan spin maestro Saeed Ajmal’s bowling action as illegal on September 9, 2014. Not only ‘doosra‘, ICC also declared Ajmal’s off-spinner as illegal and enforced a ban on world’s top-ranked spinner.
“An independent analysis has found the bowling action of Pakistan’s off-spinner Saeed Ajmal to be illegal and, as such, the player has been suspended from bowling in international cricket with immediate effect,” the ICC said. “The analysis revealed that all his deliveries exceeded the 15 degrees level of tolerance permitted under the regulations.”
Here is the list of 10 bowlers suspended for illegal bowling action throwing:

Shoaib Akhtar, December 1999: 

After Murali”s controversy 1999, Rawalpindi Express is the first bowler who was banned for illegal bowling action throwing. The Pakistan speed star was banned after he was reported during a Test series against Australia, but the suspension was quickly cleared on appeal. The Rawalpindi Express was reported several times following his short ban and ordered to undergo remedial work, but was never officially suspended again.

Shabbir Ahmed, December 2005:

Second victim of 15 degree rule is also Pakistani pacer Shabbir Ahmed. Shabbir has been reported multiple times in his short career. The Pakistan fast bowler was banned for 12 months after he was reported during a Test match against England. That was the end of his international career, he never played Test cricket again, however he returned to Pakistan domestic cricket after his ban ended.

James Kirtley, September 2005: 

Ex-England paceman James Kirtley has been banned from bowling because of a suspect action in September 2005. James having been reported several times, the right-arm quick was suspended by the England and Wales Cricket Board and ordered to undergo remedial work after it determined he had an illegal bowling action throwing. He was later cleared to return, but his action regularly came under heavy inspection until he retired in 2010.

Johan Botha, February 2006: 

The Proteas off-spinner Johan Botha was suspended after he was cited during South Africa’s tour of Australia. Botha returned to international cricket in 2007 after working on his action, but again came under the fuss in May 2009. His doosra was banned for falling outside the legal limits. Umpires Brian Jerling and Asoka de Silva reported Botha again for a “suspected illegal bowling action” following the 4th one day international against Australia in Port Elizabeth.

Marlon Samuels, February 2008: 

The West Indies all-rounder was banned from bowling after he was reported for throwing during a Test against South Africa in Durban. Samuels later returned to bowling after having his re-modelled action cleared by the ICC. However, in December 2013, he was banned from bowling his quicker deliveries after he was reported following a Test series against India.

Abdur Razzak, December 2008: 

Bangladesh left-arm slow bowler Abdur Razzak has been suspended from bowling in international cricket by ICC in December 2008. After tests determined he bowled with an arm bend of between 22 and 28 degrees. Razzak re-modelled his action and returned to international cricket in July 2009 after the ICC determined his re-modelled action was legal.

Shane Shillingford, December 2010: 

In December 2010, another West Indies off-spinner was suspended after he was reported in his first Test match, against South Africa in Port-of-Spain. His re-modelled action was cleared by the ICC in May 2011. He was banned a second time in December 2013 and was only allowed to return to international cricket in March on the condition that he didn’t bowl his doosra.

Sachithra Senanayake, July 2014: 

The Sri Lanka off-spinner Senanayake was reported for a suspect action during Sri Lanka’s fourth ODI against England at Lord’s on May 31, and testing at the end of June found he exceeded the allowed 15-degree flex limit in all four types of his deliveries which were assessed. He has been banned from bowling in international cricket, after his action was found to be illegal following bio-mechanical assessment in Cardiff. He was then sent to Perth to undergo remedial work in the hope that his re-modelled action will be cleared. He is aiming a return for a seven-match ODI series against England in November 2014.

Kane Williamson, July 2014: 

The 9th victim of this 15-degree rule is New Zealand part-time off-spinner Kane Williamson. He was banned after he was reported during a Test match in the West Indies. His action was analysed at the Cardiff Metropolitan University, resulting in his suspension.
He will continue playing as a batsman only and will undergo remedial work on his action in the hope he can return to the bowling crease.

Saeed Ajmal, September 2014:

The most recent victim of this 15-degree rule is Pakistani off-spinner, ‘The Magician’ Saeed Ajmal. Ajmal was reported for illegal bowling action throwing after the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle last month.
His bowling action was tested by a team of bio-mechanics experts at the National Cricket Centre in Brisbane and declared illegal.
Ajmal, however, was hopeful that a medical condition – the natural bend in his arm because of an accident – would work in his favor when the appeal is made to the ICC’s bowling review group. He is hopeful to be cleared before the ICC world cup 2015.