Arafat Sunny, Taskin Ahmed suspended for suspect bowling action

Bangladeshi bowling duo of Taskin Ahmed and Arafat Sunny have been suspended by the International Cricket Council (ICC) after their bowling action was found to be illegal during the ICC World T20 2016 tournament being played in India. Both bowlers underwent independent assessments in Chennai last week and were found to be breaching the permissible 15 degree arm extension limit.

The ICC informed in a press release today that the bowlers have been suspended from bowling in international cricket with immediate effect. The ICC said that Sunny’s bowling action exceeds the 15 degrees’ level of tolerance, whereas not all deliveries from Taskin were found illegal. Bangladesh is currently playing in the Super 10 stage in the Group 2 of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2016 in India.

The ICC’s release said, “ The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced that independent assessments have found the bowling actions of Bangladesh’s Arafat Sunny and Taskin Ahmed to be illegal and, as such, both the bowlers have been suspended from bowling in international cricket with immediate effect. Arafat’s analysis revealed that the elbow extension for majority of his deliveries had exceeded the 15 degrees’ level of tolerance permitted under the ICC Regulations for the Review of Bowlers Reported with Suspected Illegal Bowling actions, while not all of Taskin’s deliveries were legal.”

“As a consequence of these suspensions, the Bangladesh cricket team is permitted to apply to the ICC World Twenty20 India 2016 Event Technical Committee for approval to replace the two bowlers in the squad for the remainder of the event, ”the release added.

“In accordance with Article 6.1 of the ICC Regulations, Arafat’s and Taskin’s international suspensions will also be recognised and enforced by all the Members for domestic cricket events played in their own jurisdiction. However, with the consent of Bangladesh Cricket Board, the two bowlers may be able to play in domestic cricket events played in Bangladesh under its auspices. Arafat and Taskin were reported after their side’s opening match in the ICC World Twenty20 India 2016 against the Netherlands in Dharamsala on Wednesday, March 9. The independent assessments were performed at the ICC-accredited testing centre in Chennai. Arafat’s bowling action was analyzed on March 12, while Taskin’s test was performed on March 15.”

The Bangladesh Cricket Board has not named a replacement for the duo yet.