Bad News....

Bad news for Pakistan: Hafeez fails informal bowling test

January 04, 2015 18:34 IST

PCB had sent Hafeez to Chennai specifically on his request that he was not comfortable with the facilities in Australia and England

Ironically the former PCB chairman had warned the PCB not to send Hafeez to Chennai as he claimed that the Indians were behind the move to get Ajmal and Hafeez suspended

Chances of Shoaib Malik winning a recall as he has been in consistent form with bat and ball

Muhammad Hafeez of Pakistan. Photograph: Francois Nel/Getty Images

Pakistan cricket has got more bad news ahead of the World Cup after all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez failed to clear the informal bio-mechanics test he underwent at the bowling centre in Chennai last week.

Although the Pakistan Cricket Board had yet to issue a statement on Hafeez's test results but a reliable source in the board told PTI that some of his deliveries were still found to be over the 15 degrees allowed by the International Cricket Council to straighten their arms.

Over the wicket, Hafeez turned his arm at angles measuring from 16 to 18 degrees while round the wicket it ranged between 12 and 19 degrees, the source disclosed.

"It means that now Hafeez can't be sent for the official ICC test this week to be cleared for bowling in the World Cup and now the national selectors have to decide whether he warrants a place in the final squad of 15 purely as a batsman," the source said.

He said with Hafeez not clearing the informal test the PCB was unlikely to now take the risk of sending him for an official test which if he failed he could face a one year ban from the ICC.

The PCB had sent Hafeez to Chennai specifically on his request that he was not comfortable with the facilities at the bowling centres in Australia and England.

Pakistan have already lost seasoned off-spinner, Saeed Ajmal for the World Cup also because of an illegal bowling action while Hafeez was also suspended from bowling in international cricket by the ICC after failing the official biomechanic test in November.

"This means the selectors now to have pin their spin hopes on Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Yasir Shah and the part time spin of Haris Sohail and Azhar Ali depending on who they select in the team."

The source conceded that with Hafeez ruled out to bowl in the World Cup it had brightened up chances of Shoaib Malik winning a recall as he has been in consistent form with bat and ball in the ongoing Pentangular Cup in Karachi having scored three half successive half centuries.

But another PCB official said a meeting would be held on Monday to decide whether to allow the selectors to pick Hafeez in the World Cup squad.

Ironically the former PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf had warned the PCB not to send the senior all-rounder to Chennai even for the informal test as he claimed that he had a feeling the Indians were behind the move to get Ajmal and Hafeez suspended from bowling before the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

The national selectors are due to announce the World Cup squad on January 7 in Karachi