Narine reported for suspected illegal action

Kolkata Knight Riders bowler Sunil Narine has been reported for a suspect bowling action yet again.

Narine, who has picked up two wickets across five games in this IPL, was reported for a few of his deliveries in Kolkata’s previous game against the Sunrisers Hyderabad.

BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur confirmed this development in a media release.

“A suspected illegal bowling action report has been filed by the match officials on certain deliveries bowled by Mr Sunil Narine of Kolkata Knight Riders during the Pepsi IPL 2015 match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders played on the 22nd of April, 2015 in Visakhapatnam,” he said in his release.

“As per the provisions of the IPL Suspected Illegal Bowling Action Policy, Mr Narine will still be eligible to bowl in forthcoming Pepsi IPL matches and may request a biomechanical analysis of the deliveries in question at the ICC and BCCI accredited testing facility, the Sri Ramachandra Arthroscopy and Sports Science Centre (SRASSC) in Chennai.”

This is the third time in two BCCI-organised tournaments that Narine has been reported for his bowling action.

He was reported for a suspect action on two separate occasions during the Champions League T20 last season – after Kolkata’s game against the Dolphins and then following their semi-final win over the Hobart Hurricanes.

Following that second incident, the West Indian was banned from bowling, thereby missing the final of that tournament between Kolkata and the Chennai Super Kings.

Narine underwent a remedial change in his bowling action that was passed by the ICC but despite being named in the West Indies squad for the 2015 World Cup he pulled out of the tournament. He was made to undergo another test at Sri Ramachandra Arthroscopy and Sports Science Centre in Chennai which he cleared just prior to the start of the 2015 Indian Premier League.

While Narine can still bowl in the tournament, another such reporting in the IPL could lead to a suspension.

The mystery spinner has featured in all five games this IPL season but in addition to his disappointing return of two wickets, his economy has also been on the higher side, conceding 7.35 runs per over as opposed to his Twenty20 career rate of 5.52.

The match in question was won by the Sunrisers Hyderabad and Narine had ended with figures of 0-38 from four overs. Richard Illingworth and Vineet Kulkarni were the two on-field umpires, Rajesh Deshpande and K Bharatan were the third and the fourth umpires respectively and Manu Nayyar was the match referee.