Panel calls for more research into suspect actions

The ICC's cricket committee has recommended that more research be done into bowling actions before making any changes to the current rules on illegal deliveries. The committee, in Dubai for a two-day meeting, also decided to appoint a sub-committee, comprising three former cricketers - Angus Fraser, Aravinda de Silva and Tim May - and human-movement specialists and independent cricket experts, to look at various issues surrounding illegal deliveries.

Speaking on the topic, Dave Richardson, the ICC's general manager, said: "A sub-committee will look at the review procedure and the protocols that are in place such as the appropriate levels of tolerance for bowlers, but there will be no recommendations made on these issues until the ICC's research programme has been completed and the results properly analysed. This is not likely to be until the last quarter of this year."

The issue of throwing has been in the limelight recently, after Muttiah Muralitharan was reported during the third Test of Sri Lanka's home series against Australia. Current rules specify that spinners are only allowed to straighten their arm by five degrees, while Murali was found to be flexing his arm by ten degrees when bowling the doosra. The ICC has planned to do more research on spin bowling to find out if changes are required to the current laws, but the study is only expected to be completed by September.