Oman off-spinner reported for suspect bowling action

Syed Amir Ali must now undergo testing and, if necessary, remedial action
Oman bowler Syed Amir Ali has been reported during the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2009 in South Africa on suspicion of having an illegal bowling action.

The off-spinner was reported after the Oman v Scotland match on 4 April at WITS University, Johannesburg, by on-field umpires Marais Erasmus of the Emirates International Panel of ICC Umpires and Niels Bagh of the ICC Associate and Affiliate Umpires’ Panel as well as third umpire Kumar Dharmasena, also of the Emirates International Panel.

In their official report, the umpires stated: “We are of the opinion that during this match some deliveries were bowled with a suspect action. Therefore we felt that Syed Amir Ali should be tested.”

A copy of the report has been sent to the Oman Cricket Board (OCB).

Where a bowler is “called” or reported by the umpires due to a suspected illegal action in an ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier match, the policy requires the relevant member board – in this case the OCB – to instigate an assessment of the bowler’s action immediately and to arrange for the undertaking of any remedial action required by the player concerned. In the mean time, the player is still free to take part in international cricket.

The ICC has asked the OCB to make arrangements for the assessment of Syed’s bowling action as soon as possible. As soon as the assessment has been completed, the OCB must formally report back to the ICC as to what the results of the tests were and what action has been taken.

The findings of the OCB in relation to Syed’s bowling action will then be added to the ICC’s database, which is made available to all match officials for international cricket matches.