Utseya has 21 days to get his action tested
Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo
Zimbabwe off-spinner Prosper Utseya has been reported for a suspicious bowling action following the third ODI against South Africa on August 21 in Bulawayo.
According to an International Cricket Council (ICC) release, the match officials’ report “cited concerns regarding Utseya’s arm ball and fast delivery, and concluded that the bowler’s action needed to be tested”.
During the three-match ODI series against South Africa, Utseya took three wickets at an average of 39.66.
Utseya will now have 21 days to have his action tested. However, he will still be allowed to bowl until the results of the tests are released.
The 29-year-old has represented his country in four Tests, 156 ODIs and 29 Twenty20 Internationals, but has never been reported for having a suspicious bowling action in the past.
Interestingly enough, Utseya is the fourth off-spinner to have been reported for having a suspicious bowling action after New Zealand’s Kane Williamson, Sri Lanka’s Sachithra Senanayake and Pakistan’s Saeed Ajmal. Williamson and Senanayake were both banned from bowling after the tests concluded that they were flexing their elbow past the 15-degree limit set by the ICC.
In fact, Senanayake was found to be flexing his elbow up to 43 degrees, but he recently underwent a 10-day remedial course with human movement expert Darryl Foster at the University of Western Australia in Perth. It has been announced that he will now have his action tested again at Cardiff Metropolitan University.
In terms of Ajmal, he will leave Colombo and travel to Brisbane on Sunday morning to undergo testing at Australia’s National Cricket Centre. The ICC revealed that 30 to 35 of Ajmal’s deliveries will be closely scrutinised.