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Huge Relief For South Africa; Prenelan Subrayen Cleared By ICC To Bowl Again

Abhinav Tyagi

South Africa Bowler on his debut - (Source : AFP)South Africa Bowler on his debut - (Source : AFP)

In a significant development, South Africa can breathe a sigh of relief as the ICC has cleared Proteas spinner Prenelan Subrayen to bowl again. The International Cricket Council had barred the right-arm spinner from bowling after he was reported for illegal action.

Notably, Subreyen has a slight bend in his action, which crept in doubts whether he is chucking the ball or not. The incident occurred on his ODI debut in the first match against Australia on August 19, following which he was reported for a suspect bowling action. 

The ICC had asked Subreyen to undergo an Independent Assessment to get more clarity on his actions. Further, in the latest events, the ICC took to a social media platform where they stated that Subreyen had an assessment in Brisbane, and the readings showed that the bend was less than 15%, which is permitted by the ICC.

What do ICC Rules Say About Bowling Action?

  • Under Laws 24(2) and 24(3) of the Laws of Cricket, for a delivery to be fair, the bowler's arm must not be "thrown." This means the elbow joint must not be straightened partially or completely from the point where the arm reaches shoulder height until the ball is released. Flexing or rotating the wrist is allowed.

Scientific research showed all bowlers have some degree of "elbow extension" during delivery. To ensure fairness, ICC regulations permit a maximum elbow extension of 15 degrees during the delivery phase, measured from the arm reaching horizontal to the ball release. Any elbow extension beyond 15 degrees is considered an illegal bowling action ("chucking"), and the bowler may be reported and subjected to independent assessment.

Talking about Prenelan Subreyan, he couldn't feature in the 2nd and 3rd ODIs and also missed the ongoing England series because of ICC's action. However, the right-arm spinner is now available for selection.