Taylor applauds throwing crackdown

Former Test captain Mark Taylor says the ICC crackdown on illegal bowling actions had to happen because "things were starting to get out of hand".

The Australian board member was at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Tuesday for belated 50th birthday celebrations and to launch the NSW Blues' Bupa Sheffield Shield title defence.

There he said bowlers had been gradually exploiting the current 15 degree rule since its introduction.

Under ICC regulations, bowlers are permitted to straighten their bowling arm up to 15 degrees - considered the point at which any straightening will become visible to the naked eye.

The sport's governing body recently clamped down on `chucking', which is when players exceed this accepted limit.

Taylor said he backed the crackdown, given bowlers such as Pakistan's star spinner Saeed Ajmal had started to bowl outside the rules.

"Players start going, all right, I've got 15 degrees - 15 turns into 20, 25, 30," Taylor told reporters.

"As we saw with Saeed Ajmal I think his stock delivery was about 36 degrees."

But Taylor stressed the measure wasn't an attempt to lock certain cricketers out of the sport - rather, it was about ensuring it didn't turn into "baseball".

Concerns about bowlers flouting the rules had been mounting for some time, Taylor said.

"The feeling was ... things were starting to get out of hand," he said.

"There's been a correction. The onus has gone back onto the bowlers to prove they bowl.

"I think that's a good thing."

Meanwhile, some critics have questioned the ICC's timing, given February's World Cup is fast approaching.

For his part, ICC chief David Richardson said a flaw in the game should be amended as soon as possible, irrespective of upcoming events.

Suspect actions in the news since June

3 June: Sri Lanka off-spinner Sachithra Senanayake is reported for a suspected illegal bowling action and ordered to undergo testing within 21 days.

22 June: New Zealand off-spinner Kane Williamson is reported for a suspected illegal bowling action and ordered to undergo testing within 21 days.

28 June: The ICC Cricket Committee meets in Melbourne and recommends an increased focus on bowlers with questionable actions.

12 July: Senanayake is banned from bowling by the ICC after undergoing official testing in Cardiff.

23 July: Williamson is banned from bowling by the ICC after undergoing official testing in Cardiff.

11 August: Pakistan off-spinner Saeed Ajmal is reported for a suspected illegal bowling action and ordered to undergo testing within 21 days.

15 August: The ICC confirms three newly accredited testing centres will be unveiled in the coming months.

22 August: Zimbabwe off-spinner Prosper Utseya is reported for a suspected illegal bowling action and ordered to undergo testing within 21 days.

25 August: Bangladesh off-spinner Sohag Gazi is reported for a suspected illegal bowling action and ordered to undergo testing within 21 days.

25 August: Ajmal begins official testing at Cricket Australia's National Cricket Centre in Brisbane.

9 September: Ajmal banned with immediate effect by ICC. Pakistan Cricket Board say they will weigh up their options, while Ajmal says a medical condition is to blame and he remains confident of playing in the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup.

10 September: Bangladesh fast bowler Al-Amin Hossain is reported for a suspected illegal bowling action and ordered to undergo testing within 21 days.

13 September: PCB release details of ICC report that show Ajmal was found to be straightening arm nearly three times the legal limit.

26 September: PCB suspend 16 domestic cricketers with suspect bowling actions.

28 September: Oppo CLT20 match officials report Lahore Lions captain Mohammad Hafeez and Dolphins bowler Prenelan Subrayan for suspect bowling actions.

30 September: Oppo CLT20 match officials report Kolkata Knight Riders spinner Sunil Narine for a suspected illegal bowling action

2 October: Sunil Narine is reported for a second time and disqualified from bowling in the Oppo CLT20 final

6 October: Suryakumar Yadav becomes the fifth bowler called at the Oppo Champions League T20