Uzair Hasan Rizvi for BeyondHeadlines
World cricket may suffer a huge blow after International Cricket Council (ICC) banned Saeed Ajmal from bowling after a suspected action during the series against Sri Lanka came to light.
Ajmal has been Pakistan’s leading spinner in all formats in recent years.
Last week’s ICC cricket rankings revealed that Ajmal continued to occupy the top slot in ICC’s one-day format best bowler’s list which must have given his fans a reason to be proud of, but the news of his banning has apparently shook his fans and cricket fraternity.
A late entrant into the world of cricket, when cricketing formats were heavily tweaked and the game was made more batsmen friendly, this off-spinner from Pakistan did his best to make up for the lost time, playing his first game at the age of 30, he rattled the oppositions with his off-spin and magical doosra to climb up in the international rankings.
Since then, he has been the man for Pakistan across all the formats – against all oppositions and in all conditions. Whenever his team required a breakthrough, he has never shied away from delivering it for his team.
Heavily inspired from his fellow Pakistani- Saqlain Mushtaq- Ajmal has all the lethal deliveries- including the doosra- of which he is now the best exponents in the world cricket.
In 35 Tests, he has winkled out 178 batsmen at an average of 28.10, inclusive of 10 five-wicket hauls, while 111 one-day internationals have fetched him 183 scalps at a frugal average of 22.18 and a wonderful economy of 4.13
Ajmal, though has been at his most effective in Twenty-Twenty format, where he is so far the highest wicket-taker, with an astonishing 85 wickets from just 63 games. His average of 17.54, economy of 6.34 and a wicket every 16.5 deliveries are second overall only to South Africa’s pace-battery Dale Steyn.
It was in the year 2011-2012 that he showed his master class over all his variations- the offspinner, the doosra and the subtle changes in the speed and flight. He won a staggering three back to back man of the series awards- crushing West Indies and Sri Lanka. In 2011, he was the leading wicket taker in test, with 50 scalps in just eight games. But the series of his life came in 2012, when he bamboozled the English side in the deserts of United Arab Emirates (UAE), English skirted him, but failed to read his variations and Ajmal grabbed 24 wickets in three tests with an average of 14.70.
The spate of controversies started in the year 2009 when he was unreadable against the Australia in UAE, ICC called him for a suspect action while bowling his doosra’s. However, he was cleared. At that time the results showed that his arm was bent at 24 degrees when he brought his arm around his shoulder. But he only straightens it by eight degrees before delivering, well within the ICC tolerance limit, which allows the bowler to a 15 degree elbow extension.
In the meantime, Saeed Ajmal continued to mystify the batsmen with his desired variations and more importantly- he became the chief architect of the Pakistan bowling attack- which had in the previous year’s relied on fast bowlers. Ajmal has played a pivotal role in shaping Pakistan’s recent spin-regulation policy. He is the one who takes wickets, contain runs and calm down the nerves of his team and nation.
However, five years after he was first reported for action, the ghost came back to haunt him once and again and this time it quivered his career. Although, Ajmal has a chance to appeal this ban and he may resurrect his career once again if he is successful, however, with 2015 cricket world cup approaching, he has to race against the time. But most importantly will Ajmal be able to make a comeback now that his all deliveries are deemed as illegal? At 36, could this be the end of his career?
For last three years, Saeed Ajmal has been the leading wicket taker in the calendar year- another feat that cricket fans and especially Pakistanis will remember it forever.
But for now, Pakistan will find it hard to imagine itself without Ajmal, one of the most magnificent bowlers for last half a decade and probably the best spinner in his period. His last international wicket was of Mahela Jayawardena, whom he tricked with his doosra, may be for the last time.
