Darrell Hair, the former ICC umpire from Australia,
who is known for his prejudice against the Asian bowlers, again made
headlines after calling into question the bowling action of some Asian
bowlers.
The 58-year-old former Australia cricketer had been criticising the bowling action of Sri Lanka’s magical off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan all through his umpiring career but the Australian has recently revealed in his 360-page book, The Best Interest of the Game, that some other Asian bowlers also had suspect bowling action.
"Bowlers like Harbhajan Singh and Shoaib Akhtar will always have suspect actions," claimed Hair in an interview with a leading Australian daily.
He told the daily that Bhaji, while attempting doosra starts with a bent arm but straightens it before releasing the ball.
"Harbhajan, when attempting to bowl the doosra or impart over spin, starts with a bent arm before straightening his arm considerably while releasing the ball,” said Hair.
The 31-year-old Jalandhar off-spinner was sent to Fred Titmus' school in England to seek advice on his bowling action several years ago. However, he had never been suspected for his bowling action before.
He said that Shoaib Akhtar’s arm also deviates from the angle permitted by the International Cricket Council. He claimed that it is almost impossible for the former Pakistan speedster to keep his arm straight while bowling a Yorker.
When asked, why did not he report the suspect action of the duo while umpiring, Hair promptly replied, "I reported Harbajhan and Shoaib while umpiring; ICC must have lost record."
The 58-year-old former pace bowler from New South Wales, who played 78 Tests and 139 One Day Internationals for Australia, said that the poor governance of the international cricket prompted him to write “The Best Interest of the Game”.
The other bowlers Hair has named in his book for having suspect bowling action include Abdur Razzaq of Bangladesh, Johan Botha of South Africa and Pakistan spinner Mohammad Hafeez.
The 58-year-old former Australia cricketer had been criticising the bowling action of Sri Lanka’s magical off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan all through his umpiring career but the Australian has recently revealed in his 360-page book, The Best Interest of the Game, that some other Asian bowlers also had suspect bowling action.
"Bowlers like Harbhajan Singh and Shoaib Akhtar will always have suspect actions," claimed Hair in an interview with a leading Australian daily.
He told the daily that Bhaji, while attempting doosra starts with a bent arm but straightens it before releasing the ball.
"Harbhajan, when attempting to bowl the doosra or impart over spin, starts with a bent arm before straightening his arm considerably while releasing the ball,” said Hair.
The 31-year-old Jalandhar off-spinner was sent to Fred Titmus' school in England to seek advice on his bowling action several years ago. However, he had never been suspected for his bowling action before.
He said that Shoaib Akhtar’s arm also deviates from the angle permitted by the International Cricket Council. He claimed that it is almost impossible for the former Pakistan speedster to keep his arm straight while bowling a Yorker.
When asked, why did not he report the suspect action of the duo while umpiring, Hair promptly replied, "I reported Harbajhan and Shoaib while umpiring; ICC must have lost record."
The 58-year-old former pace bowler from New South Wales, who played 78 Tests and 139 One Day Internationals for Australia, said that the poor governance of the international cricket prompted him to write “The Best Interest of the Game”.
The other bowlers Hair has named in his book for having suspect bowling action include Abdur Razzaq of Bangladesh, Johan Botha of South Africa and Pakistan spinner Mohammad Hafeez.
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