'Every team has at least two suspected bowlers'
Questionable actions rife in Pakistan
Saeed Ajmal's ban from international cricket has left Pakistan's cricket chiefs frantically trying to take action on throwing, including dusting off an expensive biomechanical testing kit that had laid unused for years.
Ajmal, who turns 37 next month, was suspended from international cricket on Tuesday after biomechanical analysis found his bowling action, reported during the Galle Test against Sri Lanka last month, to be illegal.
He must now undergo remedial work on his action, and now Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shaharyar Khan acknowledged that throwing is rife in the domestic game.
"I was informed 25 suspected bowlers had been playing in our domestic cricket and now the number has increased up to 35 – that means every team has at least two suspected bowlers," said Khan.
Former captain and ex-PCB director of National Cricket Academy (NCA) Aamir Sohail said there were warning signs for Ajmal, who has bowled more balls than any other international bowler in the last three years.
"I had warned in February this year that Ajmal will be suspended because his action was deteriorating with age, but no-one heeded. I had recommended his action be checked every year," he told AFP.
Sohail, who played 47 Tests and 156 ODIs for Pakistan, said there had been a total lack of interest in dealing with bowlers with suspect actions in the country.
"We are ourselves to blame," Sohail told AFP.
"We have a biomechanic lab in NCA which I activated and gave a list of bowlers to test there, but the lab remained ineffective for years."
The NCA has equipment to test bowlers to check they are not straightening their arm more than the permitted 15 degrees in delivering the ball.
But the $440,000 kit, which includes 18 cameras supporting apparatus and computer software, has gathered dust since it was bought in 2009 as successive PCB chiefs dismissed the need for it.
Cleared of throwing due to a congenital defect of his elbow in 2009, Ajmal came under suspicion again this year when England paceman Stuart Broad and former captain Michael Vaughan queried his action while the Pakistani was performing strongly in county cricket.
Ajmal’s ban is a huge blow for Pakistan as the off-spinner has led the team's attack almost single-handedly across all three formats and was seen as key to their chances in next year's ICC World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Head coach Waqar Younis faces a daunting task in finding a replacement for one of the world's best bowlers.
The ban comes at a particularly difficult moment, with Pakistan facing Australia in the United Arab Emirates next month.
"Of course, it's a blow," Waqar told AFP. "The timing is unfortunate but life goes on and we have to find a replacement as quickly as possible or hope Ajmal gets back after getting cleared."
Possible replacements include the under-performing Abdur Rehman and ageing Zulfiqar Babar – both left-arm spinners who have spent the last few years in Ajmal's shadow.
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.