SL’s Kaushal banned from bowling doosra

Sri Lankan off spinner Tharindu Kaushal is banned from using a variation in his bowling after independent assessments concluded that he bowls it with an illegal action, the global Cricket Council announced Wednesday.

Starting next month, Sri Lanka will host West Indies in a series featuring two Test matches, three one-day internationals and two Twenty20s. Elbow extension for his doosra was measured at as low as 12 degrees, with the highest measurements coming in at 21 degrees, for two separate balls. The doosra was also the central worry when the umpires mentioned the apparent flexion in his bowling arm after the third Test at SSC ended. While the evaluators were largely satisfied with the overall results, a few of the trials were rejected as he did not adhere to his usual line and length.

Kaushal will be sanctioned against if he bowls Doosra again in an global match, the ICC statement added.

If Kaushal does undertake remedial work on his doosra, he may submit to another independent biomechanical test in order to get the delivery cleared. The Sri Lanka coaching team would have been prepared to accept the fact that the youngster’s doosra might not be cleared.

In a media release, the ICC confirmed that Kaushal is allowed to bowl off-breaks in worldwide cricket but his doosra has been banned. Though these test results are a setback, he is likely to remain in the frame for a Test-match place on the strength of his offbreaks.

Kaushal has played six tests for Sri Lanka and has been earmarked as the island country’s spin spearhead when Rangana Herath, 37, eventually retires.