ICC outlaws Murali's doosra

The ICC has effectively blackballed Muttiah Muralitharan's doosra, confirming that they are not about to increase the permitted five-degree tolerance level for spin bowlers to accommodate Muralitharan, and warned that he risks being reported and possibly banned if he continues to use the delivery.

The statement from the ICC - sent out before the receipt of an official report on Muralitharan's bowling - quashed the hopes of the Sri Lankan cricket board, who were confident of clearing Murali's doosra after biomechanists at the University of Western Australia had concluded that further research into the setting of tolerance levels for slow bowlers was urgently required.

But the ICC insist that the agreed tolerance levels must apply. "These current levels of tolerance are based on expert advice that suggests, beyond a certain level, bowlers will gain an unfair advantage," Malcolm Speed, the ICC's chief executive, said in the statement. "As recently as last September, the ICC reviewed these levels and all countries were in agreement that the current standards should remain in place."

"There has been some media speculation that because the ICC will be conducting further research into the actions of spinners, the current levels of tolerance should not be applied in this case. This suggestion lacks common sense. If, at some yet to be determined point in the future, and as a result of a proper research program, there is evidence to support a change to these regulations, then such a change will be considered."

But Bruce Elliott, the ICC-approved biomechanics expert who carried out the testing on Muralitharan's action, has strongly criticised the current thresholds, which he claims are based on "illogical data". Currently, fast bowlers (10 degrees) are allowed to bend their arms twice as much as spinners (five degrees).

"Most assuredly the five degrees [rule] is based on illogical data because they've just tested fast bowlers and assumed that there is some relationship between fast bowlers and spin bowlers," Elliott told reporters. "Fifteen degrees is the right angle to select for fast bowlers and you probably should come down to 10 degrees for spin bowlers."

Muralitharan had been advised by Sri Lanka cricket officials prior to the Zimbabwe tour to stop using the doosra until they had sought the advice of the ICC Technical Committee and officially recommended further research. But Muralitharan ignored that advice in the opening one-day international, bowling the delivery on a number of occasions.

Muralitharan cannot be reported again until the completion of the six-week Stage One of the ICC process for dealing with suspect actions, which ends after the five-match one-day series and mid-way through the first of two Tests. Should he be reported again, he then risks a possible 12-month ban.

The ICC statement also warned that if a bowler was reported for a second time within 12 months of the first report, "the ICC will convene a hearing of its own bowling review group, which has the power to impose a ban of up to 12 months should it determine that the bowler's action is illegal."