Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez, who was suspended for a suspect bowling action has decided to skip the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) to work on his bowling action.
Hafeez was suspended after his bowling action was found beyond the 15 degree limit on Thursday. He was set to join BPL franchise Comila Victorians from November 18.
“I have decided to not go to Bangladesh to play for the Comilla Victorians and instead I will remain in Lahore and work on my bowling action before taking a bio-mechanics test again at a ICC accredited laboratory,” Hafeez said.
According to sources close to Hafeez, he is not happy with this suspension by the International Cricket Council (ICC). This is the third time in almost three years that the Pakistan all-rounder has been suspended for an illegal bowling action.
Hafeez was banned from bowling for two years in early 2015, after his bowling action was found illegal twice in the stretch of a few months – a ban that can be repeated if his action is found illegal again.
Hafeez’s bowling has played a crucial part in Pakistan’s prolific run in the limited overs formats in the past few months. During the Champions Trophy ’17, Hafeez performed with the ball and the bat. He has since become an important middle order player in the team.
His economical bowling in the middle overs usually chokes the opposition of easy runs, while his exploits with the new ball against left handed batsmen are popular.
On the other hand, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will invite a bio-mechanics expert or Saqlain Mushtaq to Lahore to work with Hafeez.
Hafeez will be tested out at the bio-mechanics laboratory set up by the PCB at Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) campus in Lahore.
