All-rounder Mohammad Hafeez on Wednesday submitted his reply to the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) show-cause notice for “criticising the International Cricket Council (ICC) rules related to reporting suspect bowling actions”.
In his reply, Hafeez, who was recently cleared for bowling after a third suspension over suspect action, said that he had not criticised the ICC and that his interview with BBC Urdu was presented out of context. “I only touched upon the technical aspects,” Hafeez said, clarifying that his statement was misinterpreted.
“There are so many things influencing [who gets called for suspect actions], it has a lot to do with the power of [some] boards and nobody wants to take them on,” Hafeez was quoted as saying by BBC Urdu.
He had reportedly said that when he was tested for suspect bowling action, he was surprised to find out that a naked eye was able to see that he was bending his arm a degree or two more than the maximum 15-degree limit.
“So I have my doubts about this [calling system]. This is suspicious, why are match referees or on-field umpires not able to see those flexing up to 35 but me with 16 degrees?” the veteran campaigner, with 50 Tests, 200 ODIs and 81 T20 Internationals under his belt, had asked in his interview.