Know the suspected bowlers who went through scrutiny

New Delhi: After the spin maestro Saeed Ajmal was suspended for illegal bowling action, Pakistan suffered another blow just months before the World Cup. This time all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez has been suspended by the ICC for the suspected action. He has become the latest bowler to join the long line of cricket controversies since the birth of international cricket since 1877 and 11th bowler since Shoaib Akhtar was reported in the year 1999.Ajmal is currently perched at the top of its ODI rankings, after his bowling action was found to be illegal following an independent analysis while Hafeez is well complimenting the team with his spin in absence of Ajmal.The analysis of both revealed that all their deliveries exceeded the 15 degrees level of tolerance permitted under the regulations.During the 1995 Boxing Day Test at the MCG, Sri Lankan legendary spinner Muthiah Muralitharan was repeatedly no-balled by umpire Darrell Hair for an illegal bowling action, creating a wave of controversy and ill-feeling between Australia and Sri Lanka.Soon after, Murali was no-balled again during an ODI in Brisbane, this time by umpire Ross Emerson.And on Sri Lanka's tour to Australia three years later, Emerson again no-balled Murali, sparking a fierce reaction from captain Arjuna Ranatunga, who threatened to abandon the match.Despite constantly attracting intense criticism for his unique bowling style, Murali was never suspended for an illegal action during his 19-year international career.Other bowlers, including India's Harbhajan Singh and Pakistan's Mohammad Hafeez, have also been cleared by the ICC despite being reported by the umpires.Australia fast bowler Brett Lee too was reported for a suspect bowling action during Australia's tour of New Zealand in 2000, but later cleared.India TV looks out for the bowlers who faced a suspension for illegal actions since 1999:Shoaib Akhtar (1999)Shoaib Akhtar, the fastest bowler in the world, passed a distressed Millennium Eve in Perth on December 1999 during a Test series against Australia, after being banned from international cricket for a month because of an illegal bowling action.He came back with an improved arm movement but was banned again for suspect deliveries in January 2001.In May 2003, Shoaib was found tampering the ball yet again during Pakistan's tour of Sri Lanka and was banned for two ODIs.Shoaib was banned and fined several times for on-field showdowns but October 2006 was perhaps the one of the darkest chapters of his life when he tested positive for performance enhancing drug nandrolone along with Mohammed Asif. On 1 November 2006 the Pakistan Cricket Board handed down a two-year suspension to Akhtar and a one-year suspension to Asif, banning them from professional cricket during the period.In September 2007, he was banned for an indefinite period for his fight with Pakistan team mate and fast bowler Mohammad Asif. On 1 April 2008, Akhtar was banned for 5 years for publicly criticizing the Pakistan Cricket Board. However his ban was suspended for a month to play in IPL 2008 for his franchisee Kolkata Knight Riders.Akhtar retired from international cricket after the 2011 World Cup.Shabbir Ahmed (2005)In December 2005, Shabbir Ahmed was banned from international cricket for 12 months due a suspect action, following assessment by the University of Western Australia. Shabbir was reported for the second time under the revised ICC bowling review regulations during the first Test against England in Multan during November. It was found that Shabbir had gone way past the 15 degrees tolerance level allowed by the ICC to bowlers to extend their elbows.Shabbir never played Test cricket again, however he returned to Pakistan domestic cricket after his ban ended.James Kirtley (2005)In October 2005, England paceman James Kirtley was banned from bowling by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) because of a suspect action.An independent assessment showed the Sussex player's bowling action exceeded the maximum of 15 degrees "elbow extension" allowed.Even his international debut, in Zimbabwe in October 2001, was marred when his action was reported by the match referee and he subsequently underwent remedial action to modify it.He was later cleared to return, but his action regularly came under heavy scrutiny until he retired in 2010.Johan Botha (2006)In February 2006, South African off spinner, was suspended from bowling in international cricket. The decision follows his action being cited during the third Test against Australia at Sydney. ICC said that the ban will apply until Botha can be shown to have remedied his action. The independent report has identified excessive levels of straightening in both his off-break and doosra deliveries.Having returned to international cricket in 2007 after working on his action, Botha again came under the spotlight in May 2009 when his doosra was banned for falling outside the legal limits. The analysis showed the amount of elbow extension in Botha's bowling action for his off-break delivery and arm-ball was within the 15-degree level of tolerance, however the amount of elbow extension in Botha's doosra delivery was 26.7 degrees with no single delivery proving to be legal.Botha was told that he could re-apply for the delivery to be tested again once he had modified it, or appeal the decision within 14 days. However his action was then deemed within the legal limits.Marlon Samuels (2008)In February 2008, the West Indies all-rounder was banned from bowling after he was reported during a Test against South Africa in Durban. ICC's panel of human-movement specialists found that he straightened his elbow by an average of 27° when bowling off-breaks and by about 35° for his faster deliveries. He continued to play as a batsman only and 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 (2008)Bangladesh spinner Abdur Razzak was reported for a suspect action and an independent analysis found that he bent his arm up to 28 degrees - 13 more than the permissible limit. He was suspended from bowling in international cricket.In March 2009, the ICC lifted Razzak's suspension after he changed his bowling and soon after was picked for the World Twenty20 in England.This was the second time he was reported for illegal bowling action. After his one-day debut against Hong Kong in the Asia Cup in Colombo in 2004, he was reported for a suspect action in his second game against Pakistan but was not banned.Shane Shillingford (2010)The 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, but his action has come under scrutiny several times since.He was suspended from bowling in international cricket for the second time in his career in December 2013, during West Indies' tour of New Zealand, with the ICC stating that the degree of elbow flex in his standard off-break and doosra deliveries exceeded the permitted 15 degrees. Shillingford underwent remedial work on his action and was cleared for an international return in March 2014. However, with his doosra still deemed illegal, he struggled in the first series after his return, taking five wickets in two Tests against New Zealand.Sachithra Senanayake (2014)In July 2014, Sri Lanka offspinner Sachithra Senanayake was banned from bowling in international cricket, after his action was found to be illegal following bio-mechanical assessment in Cardiff.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. Among Senanayake's variations from the stock offbreak are a carrom ball and a flipper.He was then sent to Perth to undergo remedial work in the hope that his re-modelled action will be cleared. He is targeting a return for a seven-match ODI series against England in November 2014.Kane Williamson (2014)Kane Williamson, the part-time New Zealand offspinner, was suspended from bowling in international cricket in July 2014 after his action was found to be illegal.Williamson was reported for a suspect action following the second Test against West Indies in Trinidad in June and was sent for biomechanical testing at Cardiff Metropolitan University. That testing has shown that Williamson's elbow extension when bowling exceeds the 15 degrees allowable under the ICC rules. As a result of that finding, Williamson has been banned from bowling in all international cricket matches, a suspension that can only be lifted if and when he reworks his action and has it found legal by similar independent testing.Saeed Ajmal (2014)On Tuesday, 9th September 2014, Pakistan off-spinner Saeed Ajmal, who is currently perched at the top of its ODI rankings, after his bowling action was found to be illegal following an independent analysis. He was reported after the first Test match against Sri Lanka in Galle to match referee Andy Pycroft by on-field umpires Ben Oxenford and Ian Gould.Former Pak cricketers also slammed ICC for this decision against their important bowler. Pakistan Cricket Board first decided to appeal against this ban but later the board retracted its decision to file an appeal for Saeed Ajmal, who believes he can overturn his suspension for an illegal bowling action on medical grounds.In May, England fast bowler Stuart Broad also questioned Ajmal's bowling action, and said the offspinner used different actions on the field and during testing.His suspension is also a serious blow to Pakistan's plans for the World Cup next year, as the 36-year-old has taken 183 wickets in 111 ODIs, along with 178 wickets in 35 tests.He was first reported for a suspect action in 2009 his debut year but was cleared after tests at the University of Western Australia in Perth. The bowler was reported for his 'doosra'.Mohammad Hafeez (2014)In a massive blow to Pakistan cricket after Saeed Ajmal ban, all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez was too suspended by the ICC after his bowling action was found to be illegal in bio-mechanic tests.The 34-year-old Hafeez was tested last month at the Loughborough testing center, one of ICC's latest accredited laboratories, after being reported for an illegal action during the first Test between Pakistan and New Zealand in Abu Dhabi."The analysis revealed that all his deliveries exceeded the 15 degrees level of tolerance permitted under the regulations," the ICC said."Hafeez can apply for a re-assessment after he has modified his bowling action in accordance with clause 2.4 of the Regulations for the Review of Bowlers Reported with Suspected Illegal Bowling Actions," it added.Despite being under suspicion, Hafeez had been named in Pakistan's preliminary squad of 30 for next year's ODI World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.It is a major embarrassment for Pakistan cricket given that one of its most celebrated spinners Saeed Ajmal is also under suspension for a similar reason and working to modify his action.