Sri Lanka off-spinner Tharindu Kaushal has been reported for a suspected illegal bowling action during the third and final Test against India, the International Cricket Council said on Wednesday.
“The match officials’ report, which was handed over to the Sri Lanka management, cited concerns about the legality of the 22-year-old’s bowling action,” the ICC said in a statement.
Kaushal will now undergo testing on his bowling action within two weeks following the match that India won on Tuesday by 117 runs for their first series win on the island in 22 years.
Most wickets after 5 Tests by Sri Lankan spinners 34 -Ajantha Mendis 27 -Dilruwan Perera 23 -Somachandra de Silva/Tharindu Kaushal #IndvSL
— Mohandas Menon (@mohanstatsman) August 23, 2015
Kaushal, who has picked up 24 wickets from six Tests since making his international debut in December, is allowed to continue bowling in international cricket until the test results are known.
Acting on the recommendations of its cricket committee last year, the ICC has cracked down on suspect bowling actions, with off-spinners being the main target.
Pakistan’s Saeed Ajmal, Sri Lanka’s Sachithra Senanayake and New Zealand’s Kane Williamson – all off-spinners – were among those reported and subsequently suspended to allow remedial work on their actions.
The crackdown has largely been welcomed in the cricket community but critics have warned against what they felt was selective culling.
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Rules drawn up in November 2004 state that an action is illegal when the bowler’s elbow straightens over the stipulated 15-degree arc in his delivery stride.
The off-spinner’s googly – the doosra – is believed to be targeted by umpires on the pretext that it is difficult to bowl one with a legal action.
The Sri Lankan cricket board had recently announced their intention to weed out suspect actions across the country, including at school level.
The main aim for their move was to ensure that none of the Sri Lankan players are called during the Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh next year.
