Mohammad Hasnain’s action ruled illegal, suspended from bowling in international cricket

Mohammad Hasnain, currently playing for Quetta Gladiators in the PSL 2022, was reported by the umpires to have an illegal bowling action in the recently concluded Big Bash League. He was tested in ICC approved biomechanics laboratory at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) last month.

According to the reports of the test, Hasnain is found to have an illegal bowling action. A majority of the deliveries he bowled exceeded the 15-degree tolerance mark for legal deliveries. According to the ICC norms, Pakistan Cricket Board can allow Hasnain to bowl in their domestic matches. However, that seems unlikely as PCB prevented Mohammed Hafeez from bowling in PSL 2016 after having found an illegal bowling action.

“The PCB today received a formal and detailed report from Cricket Australia on Mohammad Hasnain’s assessment test, which stated his elbow extension for his good length delivery, full length delivery, slow bouncer and bouncer exceeded the 15-degree limits,” the PCB said in a statement. “The PCB has discussed the report with its own bowling experts and is confident that the problem can be resolved. The PCB will now appoint a bowling consultant who will work with Mohammad Hasnain so that he can rectify his bowling action and be ready for a reassessment.”

As reported by ESPNcricinfo, the 21-year old would have been tested in Australia when playing for Sydney Thunders in the BBL but travelled back to Pakistan to participate in the PSL.

He is currently a part of the Quetta Gladiators squad, and he played the first three games for the team. He was not included in the XI for the game against Islamabad United, which they eventually lost. Hasnain has picked up three wickets in the three games so far and has bowled at an economy rate of 8.44.

Quetta Gladiators currently stand in fourth place in the points table after winning just one of their four games. The Sarfaraz Ahmed-led side has had a poor start to the season and they also were at the bottom of the table in the last edition. They will play their next game against Lahore Qalandars on the 7th of February.

It remains to be seen if PCB allows Hasnain to continue with the same action in the remainder of PSL 2022.