Pakistan has given the world many quality bowlers, but many of them are “chuckers”

21-year-old Pakistani right-arm pacer Mohammad Hasnain, who impressed everyone with his debut spell in the Big Bash League last month has had his world come crashing down. The youngster has been banned from playing the game at the elite level after his action was deemed illegal by Cricket Australia (CA). The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in a statement on Friday stated it had taken note of the report reviewed and verified by the CA’s independent expert who found Hasnain’s bowling action to be illegal.  

PCB said, “The PCB today received a formal and detailed report from Cricket Australia on Mohammad Hasnain’s assessment test, which stated his elbow extension for his good length delivery, full length delivery, slow bouncer and bouncer exceeded the 15-degree limits,” 

It further added, “The PCB has discussed the report with its own bowling experts and is confident that the problem can be resolved. The PCB will now appoint a bowling consultant who will work with Mohammad Hasnain so that he can rectify his bowling action and be ready for a reassessment.” 

Under the International Cricket Council rules, an illegal bowling action is one in which the bowler’s elbow extension exceeds 15 degrees. Hasnain’s suspension comes on the heels of Moises Henriques, captain of the Sydney Sixers franchise accusing Hasnain of “chucking” during a Big Bash match last month, telling him “nice throw, mate” at one stage. 

However, this is not the first time, that a Pakistani bowler has come under the scanner for suspicious and illegal action. Despite boasting of developing a conveyor belt of pacers and spinners, the PCB has often been made to eat the humble pie, after its bowlers are caught in the technical, legal net of ICC. 

Saeed Ajmal

The most infamous name is off-spinner Saeed Ajmal. The willy spinner, at one time, was one of the top bowlers in the world. Ajmal was reported for a suspect action twice in his eight-year career. He was first pulled up during the 2008 Asia Cup but was cleared soon after. 

The second time he was reported for his action was in August 2014 and that was the killer blow for Ajmal, who was subsequently banned from bowling in international cricket.

At the time he was the No. 1 ranked ODI bowler and was in the top 10 list in both Tests and T20Is. Ajmal made a comeback into the national side after missing the 2015 World Cup with a remodelled action but had lost the X-factor in his bowling.

The new action proved to be a disaster for Ajmal and he was never the same bowler. He fell out of favour with the selectors while his performances in the Pakistan Super League also did not help his case any further. After falling in the pecking order, Ajmal announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in 2017.

Mohammed Hafeez

Mohammed Hafeez, the ace all-rounder who recently retired from all international forms of cricket has had his fair share of chucking and banning in the last 6-7 years. On multiple occasions, Hafeez’s action has been deemed illegal.  

It was in June 2015 that Hafeez was reported and suspended for the first time. However, after his ban ended, he returned to bowling after clearing a bowling test. Immediately after being given the go-ahead, Hafeez bowled a few good spells during a bilateral tour, even earning the Man of the Match trophy in the process. 

But the issue flared up again in October 2017, when he was reported during an ODI against Sri Lanka. As a result, the Pakistani star player was handed a ban of 12 months again. Hafeez’s misery did not end here. 

In 2019, after following the time-consuming process of remodelling the action, he was found to be chucking for the umpteenth time during a Vitality Blast (T20) match between his county Middlesex against Somerset. The on-field umpires reported his action. 

A bowling review group, which heard his appeal at Lord’s suspended him from bowling in ECB competitions and advised him to correct his action. He made a comeback afterwards but the potency was nowhere to be found. 

Shabbir Ahmed

Unlike the list which has a majority of spinners, Pakistani pacer Shabbir Ahmed was called for chucking on multiple occasions throughout his career. Shabbir’s action was first reported in a tri-series competition in Canada in 1998 but was cleared after undergoing some corrective measures by former West Indian bowler Michael Holding.

His action went under the scanner for a second time when he was reported during Pakistan’s Test series in New Zealand in 2004. As a result, he was banned for 12 months. 

It was the first time that a cricketer had been banned for one year. Ahmed did correct his action later but could not make his way into the team. After remaining on the fringes, he announced his retirement in 2013.

Other Pakistani bowlers like Shoaib Akhtar, Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, throughout their careers have also received warnings and suspension for chucking.

The Rawalpindi express was banned for a month in 1999 ahead of the World Cup. A nine-man ICC panel detected a slight straightening of the arm after studying video evidence and handed the ban. However, after returning to Pakistan, Shoaib corrected his action. 

It is said that former BCCI chief Jagmohan Dalmiya batted for the youngster and got him out of the testing waters. Otherwise, his career would have ended, before even taking off. As for Shahid Afridi, the effervescent youngster of Pakistan cricket was also ensnared in the chucking cloud a few times in his career. However, he is most infamously known for eating a cricket ball like an apple, in an attempt to tamper it.

Pakistan may be a factory for producing bowlers but it has some foundational problems in its approach. No country has had so many bowlers being called out for chucking as Pakistan in the last few decades. Perhaps, it is encouraged at the county level so that players can rise to the top in the congested and cramped talent market.