'Suspended' Ajmal still needs to work on bowling action for return to legal limits

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has revealed that their suspended ace off spinner Saeed Ajmal's suspect bowling action has improved substantially but he still needs to work to return to being within the legal limits.

The 37-year-old was reported during the Galle Test against Sri Lanka in August this year and after a biomechanical analysis in Australia the International Cricket Council (ICC) suspended Ajmal until another official assessment.

The PCB even hired former off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq to work on removing the flaws in Ajmal's action, Sport24 reported.

Under ICC rules a bowler is allowed 15-degree elbow extension, a point visible to naked eye. But August's tests on Ajmal showed he extends his elbow nearly 43 degrees and, as a result, needed a major overhaul.

Before going for his official test with the ICC, the PCB sent Ajmal to Loughborough, England, to have an unofficial assessment as a precautionary measure and the Pakistan board said that the unofficial test was satisfactory.

The PCB said that after tests on November 10 at Loughborough University, an ICC-accredited facility for tests on bowlers with suspect actions, biomechanist Dr. Mark King has reported that Ajmal has modified his bowling action substantially.

The board added that while there is clearly a substantial improvement from the previous official test it is likely that with additional work the bowler can bowl within the 15-degree limit.

Ajmal will remain in England for one more week and will continue working with Mushtaq.

Pakistan is hoping Ajmal would be cleared before the World Cup in February and March in Australia and New Zealand as he is seen as key to the team's success, the report added.