ICC makes shock U-turn, lets South Africa bowler walk free after illegal action scandal
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After having come under the radar of the ICC last month, South African spinner Prenelan Subrayen has been cleared of charges of illegal bowling action by the ICC following an independent bowling assessment in Brisbane.
The International Cricket Council has a long list of bowlers banned for their illegal actions. Over the course of all these years, bowlers have been banned from Test and ODI cricket, which has occasionally had large-scale implications and controversies.
However, a lucky man who has recently survived the international ban scare is Proteas spinner Prenelan Subrayen, who was booked under similar charges during the South Africa vs Australia First ODI at Cairns.
ICC clears South African spinner of illegal bowling action charges
After being booked under the charges of an illegal bowling action against Australia, the Proteas spinner Prenelan Subrayen was summoned by the ICC for an independent bowling assessment test at the National Cricket Centre in Brisbane.
The tests conducted on the 26th of August revealed that the amount of elbow extension for all his deliveries was within the desired degree standards set by the International body. The maximum limit of extending elbows is 15 degrees under the ICC illegal bowling regulations.
Now, with the action deemed legal, he can continue to bowl in international cricket, where he has played in just 2 international fixtures. His Test debut was against Zimbabwe, and his ODI debut was against Australia.
The bowler with 5 international wickets was not included in the South African squad for the England series.
South Africa recently registered their long-awaited bilateral wins in Australia and England
The Proteas have missed out on ICC trophies by a very close margin on several occasions before, but they ended their drought of 27 years with their maiden ICC World Test Championship title in 2025.
Ever since then, the Temba Bavuma-led side has been unstoppable. Bavuma has led the Proteas to their first ODI bilateral series win on Australian soil after 35 years, while then going on to claim a similar feat against England on English soil.
With a 5-run victory in a thrilling second ODI match, South Africa won a bilateral series on English soil after 27-long years.
Renowned bowlers banned by ICC over illegal bowling action
Over the years, several great bowlers have been banned by the ICC over the alleged claims of an illegal bowling action. The most controversial name is that of Pakistan off-spinner Saeed Ajmal, who was banned in 2014.
He was analysed by the Human Movement specialist, who revealed that his arms bent over 42-44 degrees, which is not permissible as per the rules. Sachithra Senanayake, the former Sri Lankan spinner, faced a similar ban in 2014 for 4 of his deliveries breaching the 15-degree rule.
Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar also faced such a ban for a short period of time before his suspension was overturned on appeal. Johan Botha, the Proteas spinner, faced such bans twice in his international career, back in 2006 and then 3 years later in 2009.
Other notable names include Pakistan's Shabbir Ahmed Khan, all-rounder Abdur Razzaq, and West Indies all-rounder Marlon Samuels. Shane Shillingford, a former West Indies cricketer, faced the ban immediately after his international debut.
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