Hafeez fails unofficial bowling test

Pakistan allrounder Mohammad Hafeez has failed an unofficial test on his remodeled bowling action in Chennai. The result of the unofficial test means that the Pakistan Cricket Board may not apply for an official test of Hafeez's action and the allrounder could be picked in the World Cup squad as a specialist batsman.

During the test conducted at Sri Ramachandra University, Hafeez bowled 11 deliveries and of these the flex in six deliveries was above the 15-degree limit. The average flex in the deliveries bowled by Hafeez over the wicket was 16 degrees. Of the five deliveries bowled round the wicket by him, two had 17 and 19 degrees of flex respectively.

Hafeez, 34, had first been reported for a suspect action while playing for Lahore Lions in the Champions League T20, but that sanction did not apply to international cricket. He was reported again in November, during the first Test against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi. His action was found to be illegal in December and the ICC report said the analysis had shown that the flex for all his deliveries was above the 15-degree limit.

After the ODI series against New Zealand in the UAE, where he played as a specialist batsman, Hafeez traveled to Chennai to undergo remedial work on his action.

Hafeez was the second Pakistani offspinner, after Saeed Ajmal, to be suspended for an illegal action last year. Ajmal recently withdrew himself from the World Cup as his remodeled action needed further work before an official test.