ICC revamp helped chucking crackdown

Cricket Australia chairman Wally Edwards says the recent shake up of the International Cricket Council has already bettered the sport, citing the crackdown on illegal bowling actions.

Since ICC chief Narayanaswami Srinivasan's appointment in June, Pakistan star Saeed Ajmal has headlined a series of spinners to be reported and reprimanded.

The timing is no coincidence.

"Unless you've got total support from the top down, it's not going to happen," Edwards told reporters after Thursday's Cricket Australia annual general meeting.

"In the past ... you could never resolve anything.

"You couldn't have that debate.

"There was no 'let's sit down and talk about doubtful actions and what are we going to do about it'.

"There were factions ... it was 'look we don't want to talk about it. It's not an issue that worries us'."

Now it's a case of the cliques clicking, at least on certain issues.

Even the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), robbed of arguably their greatest talent, five months out from the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup, are on board with the chucking clampdown.

The PCB last month suspended 16 domestic bowlers with suspect actions.

"The way some of the countries have accepted the situation has been very, very positive," Edwards said.

"They haven't been grizzling and grumbling. They've got on with putting someone else in the team and getting on with it.

"I'm not guaranteeing every issue is going to be resolved with everyone on the same page. But this issue has been."

Edwards suggested player behaviour and slow over rates were other issues the ICC could now improve.

"The theme that's run through all our (ICC) discussions over the last two years is that we want cricket to be better around the world," he said.

"We want it played well, umpired well and some things have been annoying a lot of people for a long time.

"We want to try and address them.

"We might fail, but we'll give it a go."

The Decision Review System (DRS) remains a bugbear for many cricket fans, whether it be the system itself or India's staunch opposition to it.

Edwards noted he hadn't "had that conversation" when asked if DRS could be used in India's upcoming four-Test tour of Australia.

"I have positive feelings that over time, that (DRS) will become universal," he added.

Edwards was reluctant to comment about the West Indies' recent walkout of their Indian tour, saying he will know more after next week's ICC meetings in Dubai.

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 

8 October: Bangladesh’s Sohag Gazi and Zimbabwe’s Prosper Utseya banned from bowling in international cricket with immediate effect