The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the University of Pretoria in South Africa as an accredited testing centre for suspected illegal bowling actions. 

– #360view: ICC must restore parity between bat and ball
– Hafeez to be sent to CHennai for remedial work

The centre joins Cricket Australia’s National Cricket Centre in Brisbane, Loughborough University and the Sri Ramachandra University in Chennai as testing facilities for players reported in international cricket under the ICC Regulations.

“The facility was assessed against a range of criteria, including having an indoor area large enough to allow a player to bowl off his or her normal full run-up; a motion analysis system with a minimum of 12 high speed cameras capable of producing three-dimensional data, suitably qualified personnel, experienced in using such systems, and implementing the ICC testing protocol,” the ICC official press release confirmed.

ICC has provided facilities for its testing protocol, which includes a suite of testing equipment and software, to the four accredited centres to allow for a consistent assessment of bowlers across the different venues.

The accreditation of the University of Pretoria is part of an ICC effort to tackle the issue of illegal bowling actions in a number of ways, including the location of accredited testing facilities in each region. With several other countries showing interest in hosting testing centres to help them assess bowlers in their domestic competitions, the ICC hopes to assess and accredit a select range of additional facilities over the coming years.

The ICC’s recent crackdown against bowlers with suspected actions has increased at a soaring pace and bowlers with dubious deliveries are under more scrutiny than ever before.

Some of the world’s top bowlers – including Pakistan’s Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Hafeez, and West Indian Sunile Narine – have been suspended and tested for their actions in 2014.

This led to calls for more ICC accredited biomechanics labs in top playing nations so that reported bowlers can be checked and tested before they reach the international stage.