ICC suspends Zimbabwe left arm pacer Brian Vitori for 12 months due to illegal action

Brian Vitori, the Zimbabwe fast bowler, has been suspended from bowling in international cricket for 12 months after an independent assessment, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced on Monday (December 26). The assessment revealed that some of Vitori’s deliveries exceeded the 15-degree level of tolerance, thus, he employed an illegal bowling action.

The 26-year-old left-arm bowler was assessed at the University of Pretoria on 12 December after the legality of his bowling action was reported for a suspected illegal action during the tri-series final against Sri Lanka on Sunday, which the hosts lost by six wickets on 27 November.

Vitori was reported by the match officials pursuant to the ICC Regulations for the Review of Bowlers Reported with Suspected Illegal Bowling Actions (the “Regulations”) and subsequently underwent the independent assessment in Pretoria in accordance with the regulations.

Vitori was originally suspended from bowling in January 2016 during a T20I against Bangladesh but was permitted to resume bowling in June 2016 after remedial work and a subsequent reassessment in Chennai.

As this report has constituted the player’s second report within a two-year period, the first of which led to a suspension, he is now automatically suspended from bowling in international cricket for a period of 12 months.

“Vitori can appeal against any procedural aspect of an independent assessment that has led to this automatic suspension,” the ICC said in a release. “However, only after the expiry of this one-year period will he be entitled to approach the ICC for a re-assessment of his bowling action.”

Vitori, who made his international debut in 2011 against Bangladesh at Harare, has played four Tests, 20 One-Day Internationals and 11 Twenty20 Internationals so far picking up 45 wickets across formats.