Pakistan spinner will start remedial work next week
Ajmal to begin road back from ban
Suspended Pakistani off-spinner Saeed Ajmal will start remedial work on his bowling action next week after it was deemed illegal, the country's cricket chief said Thursday.
Ajmal, who turns 37 next month, was suspended by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday after being reported during the Galle Test against Sri Lanka last month and assessed by an Australian lab.
Ajmal will not appeal against the decision and instead applied for reassessment with the ICC after correcting his action.
"We have requested him to come next week and hopefully he will appear before the committee to start remedial work," Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shaharyar Khan told AFP.
"We had two options in Ajmal's case," he said.
"One (was) to appeal against the decision, but after the ICC rules no longer take medical evidence into account we see slim chances in an appeal."
When Ajmal's action was first reported in 2009 he was cleared because of unusual bend in his arm, like former Sri Lankan spin great Muttiah Muralitharan.
But Khan said medical reasons were no longer considered valid and the PCB would be aiming to improve Ajmal's action over a three to six week period with the help of former off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq.
Saqlain, who is widely regarded as the inventor of controversial "doosra," a delivery which turns in the opposite direction to the normal off-break, is set to arrive in Lahore from England on September 22.
Looking forward to helping Saeed Ajmal pic.twitter.com/rLvvpNfaj0
— Saqlain Mushtaq (@Saqlain_Mushtaq) September 11, 2014
Pakistan officials have already begun the hunt for Ajmal's replacement for their series next month against Australia in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Quick Single: Who will replace Ajmal?
Pakistan play a Twenty20, three one-days and two Tests against Australia starting October 5.
That will be followed by three Tests, five one-days and two Twenty20s against New Zealand, also in UAE.
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.