Pakistan’s Hafeez cleared to resume bowling in internationals

Mohammad Hafeez
Mohammad Hafeez

(Reuters) – Pakistan off-spinner Mohammad Hafeez has been cleared to resume bowling in international cricket after his action was deemed to be legal by the International Cricket Council (ICC) following reassessment, the sport’s governing body said yesterday.

Hafeez, 37, was suspended last November after match officials reported him for a suspected illegal bowling action in October’s one-day international against Sri Lanka.

“Hafeez underwent a re-assessment of his bowling action… where it was revealed that the amount of elbow extension in his bowling action was within the 15-degree level of tolerance permitted under the ICC Illegal Bowling Regulations,” the ICC said in a statement.

The sport’s governing body said that Hafeez had undergone remedial work prior to the re-assessment and videos and images of his corrected action will be provided to match officials in future games.

The images are provided to help officials ensure that Hafeez does not revert back to his illegal bowling action in the future.

Hafeez had been suspended on two previous occasions for the same offence and served a 12-month ban from July 2015 after his action was found to be illegal for the second time in a two-year period.