Malcolm Waller, the Zimbabwe offspinning allrounder, has become the latest to be suspended from bowling in international cricket. The ICC announced that an independent analysis at the High Performance Centre in Pretoria had found Waller’s action to be illegal. The analysis revealed that all his offspin deliveries exceeded the permitted 15 degrees of tolerance.
Waller was reported after the second Test against Bangladesh in Khulna last month in which he picked up six wickets. The analysis was done by the ICC’s accredited team of human-movement specialists on December 7. Waller can apply for a reassessment after modifying his action.
The ICC has become increasingly vigilant about dodgy actions this year and offspinners have been hit the hardest. Pakistan’s Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Hafeez, Sri Lanka’s Sachithra Senanayake, New Zealand’s Kane Williamson, Zimbabwe’s Prosper Utseya and Bangladesh’s Sohag Gazi have received suspensions for illegal actions. Senanayake and Williamson have subsequently been cleared. Utseya’s slow and medium-paced deliveries were found to be legal during the ICC retest after he underwent remedial work, but not his offspin.