PCB issues show-cause notice to Hafeez for ICC comments

LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board on Friday issued a show-cause notice to all-rounder Muhammad Hafeez for criticising the International Cricket Council rules on reporting suspect bowling actions.

The PCB directed former cricket team captain to submit his reply within seven days over his controversial statement.

Hafeez had criticised ICC law regarding bowling action saying that he could not decipher why his bowling action was declared illegal when he had a 16-degree bend, but bowlers who have 25 or 30-degree bends are not being reported.

“There are so many things influencing all this [who gets called for suspect actions], it has a lot to do with the power of [some] boards and nobody wants to take them on,” Hafeez told BBC Urdu.

“Mostly there are soft corners and relations between people which no one wants to spoil. What I say is why not implement the rule and get every bowler in the world to go through [testing]. What’s the difficulty in that?”

Hafeez said he was surprised when he found out, after tests, that the degree of flex in his action was only marginally above the 15-degree limit.

READ MORE: Hafeez cleared to resume bowling in international cricket

 

Hafeez underwent a re-assessment of his bowling action in England on April 17, where it was revealed that the amount of elbow extension in his bowling action was within the 15-degree level of tolerance permitted under the ICC illegal bowling regulations.

Hafeez was first suspended from bowling in December 2014 after being reported in November 2014 during a Test series. Following remedial work on his bowling action he was re-assessed and permitted to resume bowling in April 2015.

He was then suspended from bowling in July 2015 for 12 months following a second suspension within 24 months. He was re-assessed and permitted to resume bowling in November 2016.

Hafeez was reported for the third time during the Abu Dhabi ODI against Sri Lanka in October 2017 and was subsequently suspended in November 2017 after an independent assessment revealed he had employed an illegal bowling action.