Hafeez banned from bowling
Pakistan allrounder Mohammad Hafeez was suspended from bowling in international cricket for 12 months by the ICC on Friday for an illegal action.
The 34-year-old offspinner was assessed in India this month after he was reported during Pakistan's victory over Sri Lanka in a test last month.
'The assessment revealed that Hafeez's elbow extension exceeded 15 degrees while bowling and, thus, he employed an illegal bowling action,' the International Cricket Council said in a statement.
Hafeez was first suspended last November but was permitted to resume bowling in April after he was reassessed. A bowler gets a 12-month suspension if he's again reported within two years, and is assessed to have an elbow extension of more than 15 degrees in his bowling arm.
The ICC said Hafeez can appeal, but can't have his action reassessed until after the one-year suspension.
Hafeez took a career-best 4-41 and scored a century against Sri Lanka last Saturday during Pakistan's six-wicket win in the first one-day international.
His suspension was a big blow to Pakistan's chances in next year's World Twenty20 in India, where he can now play only as a specialist batsman. The offspinner has 46 wickets in 62 T20s, and 1,354 runs with a healthy strike rate of 115.52. Hafeez also has 129 wickets in 163 ODIs, and 52 wickets in 44 tests.
AP
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