Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) issued a media release to reject claims that it is not backing all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez after he received a ban from the International Cricket Council (ICC) due to an illegal bowling action. Earlier, reports surfaced that Hafeez was asked to refer to the National Cricket Academy (NCA), Lahore to receive guidance to correct his illegal bowling action. According to the sources, PCB was said to have not hired any expert to help Hafeez rectify the bend in his elbow, which has seen him being banned from bowling for a third time.
The source also revealed that PCB is ready to request the International Cricket Council (ICC) for a rechecking of Hafeez’s action, but after the 37-year-old believes he is ready for it. An unofficial biomechanics test is also on the cards if Hafeez requests for it before he goes for a formal checking of his action in an ICC credited lab.
“PCB would like to clarify that it stands behind Hafeez and is lending all its support to him to rectify his bowling action,” the media release read. “The PCB will like to state that a bowling action review committee has already been setup with Ahsan Raza, Ali Zia, Saleem Jaffar, and Sajjad Akbar as its members. The committee has been tasked to provide all possible training and assistance to rectify Hafeez’s bowling action at par with the ICC standards.”
It added: “On the recommendations of the four-member committee, Hafeez will work on his action at the National Cricket Academy and after every 10 days will undergo a test at the biomechanics lab setup in Lahore University of Management Sciences. The committee will then analyse the reports of the tests, and will further guide Hafeez before he proceeds to the official bowling test.”
Hafeez was reported during the third Sri Lanka ODI in the UAE and his biomechanics test reports showed that he had a bend of 20-22 degrees in his elbow.
In result, ICC banned him from bowling in international matches until he reappears for a test and clears it.
Till then, he is allowed to bowl in domestic matches, however, after receiving prior permission from the PCB.
