On seeing that Pakistan’s off-spinner Saeed Ajmal had withdrawn from the World Cup due to his remodelled action still not giving him a style within the required fifteen degrees of flex, there were a great deal of different emotions for cricket fans: sadness for the player; annoyance at the ICC; disappointment for the Pakistan team and, in some cases, betrayal that Ajmal’s stunning bowling seems to have been illegal.

Chucking is a difficult issue for the game of cricket. The difference in opinion between different sets of supporters is huge; some say that it is a plague on the game, and the ICC are admirable for their decision to try to eradicate it; others think that the laws are too harsh, and are unfair on ‘mystery spinners’, who can bring a new element to the game. Unfortunately, it seems as though the game’s governing body have no plans to change their laws, and spinners will simply have to adapt to the fact that they face their livelihood being taken away unless they can successfully remodel their action.

However, there is one thing that will not change, and that is the sour taste left in the mouths of anyone whose team has been defeated by a now-banned spinner. England fans will look back to the 2012 series against Pakistan, which they lost 3-0, and wonder how they might have fared but for Ajmal’s 24 wickets. Similarly, New Zealand fans could look back on their World T20 performance in 2014 against Sri Lanka, and wonder how the game would’ve gone without Sachitra Senanayake’s three over spell in which he took two wickets for just three runs. Furthermore, after Pragyan Ojha was banned from bowling on Saturday, West Indies supporters might think that his match figures of 10/89 was the main reason for their heavy defeat in the Mumbai test of November 2013.

134—Since the last World Cup Saeed Ajmal has taken 134 ODI wickets—only Lasith Malinga (144) has more in this time. Missing. — OptaJim (@OptaJim) December 27, 2014

Ajmal’s plethora of wickets in the past four years in ODI cricket have helped to carry Pakistan’s performances, but they now have to adjust fully to life without their 37-year-old off-spinner, at least until the World Cup has finished. One of the real worries for the side is that at his age, Ajmal’s career may be over; a pair of games for Pakistan A is the only cricket he has played in since August, and despite his action looking smoother, Shaharyar Khan, the PCB chairman, was quoted as saying by Reuters, “We didn’t want to take a risk with Ajmal’s career because latest reports suggested his elbow extension was not still within the 15 degrees allowed by the ICC despite all the remedial work on his action.”

“We were aware that if he took the official ICC test in a bid to make the World Cup squad and failed it he could be suspended from playing for one to two years and that would mean the end of his career.” -Shaharyar Khan, Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman

It is a difficult situation for all involved with Ajmal, including Saqlain Mushtaq, who has been working with him to try and improve his action. Interestingly, an unofficial test at Loughborough University found Ajmal’s stock delivery and his quicker ball to be within the permitted limit, but his doosra, one of the key weapons in his armoury, to remain over the 15 degrees limit. Clearly, the bowler thinks that his doosra is so crucial to his bowling style that he cannot play to his full potential without it.

The images of Ajmal’s spell against Kenya do seem to suggest a clear difference in his action, but the spinner has chosen to withdraw. Regardless of the decision, there is a sour taste left in the mouth of all cricket fans, who either rue the fact that it took so long for the ICC to act, or are disappointed that the spinner will not feature in upcoming World Cup. In any case, it seems as though the ICC have indeed made a good decision, regardless of the timing; Senanayake was impressive in his recovery time between being found to have an illegal action and remodelling it, perhaps suggesting that Ajmal’s action really was so far out of the legal bounds that it was giving Pakistan an unfair advantage.

All things considered, it does look as though the game of cricket may be on the verge of losing a man whose career could have been looked back on so differently. Ajmal’s potential retirement will be viewed with mixed emotions, as arguably, he was breaking the laws of the game throughout his career, and his 446 international wickets were all tarnished. On the flip side, he was cruelly robbed of the chance to show off his talent when at the peak of his powers on the world stage just months before the World Cup. One thing is for sure though; whatever the viewpoint, the whole debate leaves a sour taste, and Saeed Ajmal’s presence will be missed in Oceania this winter.

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