I Was Banned From Bowling By ICC Because I Was A Pakistani, Says Saeed Ajmal
Former Pakistan spinner Saeed Ajmal has insisted that he was banned from bowling by the International Cricket Council (ICC) because he was a Pakistani. The off-spinner was nothing less than a menace for the batsmen while he was spearheading Pakistan’s spin attack.
No matter what the format was or what the conditions were, Saeed Ajmal was always a threat. However, the final few months of his international career were marred with the controversies surrounding his bowling action. He was eventually banned from bowling by the ICC in 2015.
It was the second instance of his bowling action being reported. ICC had cleared him to bowl after the first test in 2009 but the re-modelled action did not allow him to freely exercise his most lethal weapon – ‘doosra’. This eventually led to a dip in form for him.
Later the ICC banned him after the second test for a reported flaw in his bowling action after a Test match against Sri Lanka in 2014. However, the ex-Pakistan spinner was hopeful that a medical condition which led to bend in his arm because of an accident would work in his favour.
Recalling that episode, Saeed Ajmal stated that ICC banned him because he was from Pakistan. He also said that since Sri Lanka great Muttiah Muralitharan had retired from international cricket, the ICC didn’t care much about a bowler from Pakistan.
“The test in 2009 and 2014 was same but the only difference was they had removed the medical conditions which they considered in 2009. When Muralitharan left cricket then ICC thought there is this guy Saeed Ajmal and he is from Pakistan and they can’t do anything against our decision,” Ajmal said as quoted by India Today.
