Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja yesterday pleaded with crick­et’s law makers to save the contro­versial “doosra” delivery, saying it provides a new dimension to the batsmen-dominated game.

The “doosra” – a delivery which turns the other way than the normal off-break – has come under greater scrutiny as bowlers straighten their bowling arm beyond 15 degrees, the permitted point under the Interna­tional Cricket Council (ICC) rules.

The ICC has launched a crack­down recently with as many as three bowlers suspended – includ­ing top ranked one-day bowler Saeed Ajmal of Pakistan – for illegal bowling actions. Ajmal is undergo­ing remedial work on his action un­der Saqlain Mushtaq, regarded as the inventor of the “doosra”.

Raja said the delivery is an art which should be saved. “Save the doosra because it is an exciting de­livery,” Raja said. “My stance is that the rules of the game have become so lop-sided and 70-30 in favour of the batsmen so bowlers need new deliveries. The doosra is not physically threatening. It tests the skills of batsmen so even if needed some relaxation, like 18-20 degrees, should be allowed.”

Raja said reverse swing also came into being because bowlers needed help on dry batting pitches. “The birth of reverse swing came as bowl­ers were struggling on dead tracks in the sub-continent and initially it was also treated as something controversial but now it has been adopted by every team,” he said.