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by Sa'adi Thawfeeq

The International Cricket Council (ICC) denied that bowlers with suspect actions had an unfair advantage over batsmen. ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed said the ICC were satisfied with the present two stage system dealing with bowlers with suspect actions and that a proper balance has been stuck between batsmen and bowlers.

"If a bowler is first reported by the umpire he is given six weeks to remedy his action but will continue to play. But if he is reported again he will go before a special panel and has the chance of being banned," said Speed addressing a press conference at Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) headquarters yesterday.

Speed said that nothing has changed in Law 24 dealing with unfair bowling and that it was still in place.

"It is at the discretion of the umpires whether to call a bowler for throwing or to report him," said Speed.

Speed said a number of fast bowlers with suspect actions had been reported recently and they had changed their actions and returned to play international cricket. England fast bowler James Kirtley was one good example.

Speed said the ICC were now in the process of studying the biomechanics of suspect slow bowlers. They had earlier concentrated only on fast and medium-fast bowlers. "It is a very complicated area and the reports we have shows how complex it is to establish with certainty what's happening with a bowler's action," he said.

When it was brought to the ICC's notice that Michael Holding, a member of the ICC's review committee had expressed strong views about bowlers with suspect actions continuing to play, Speed said: "It is good to see a great bowler like Michael Holding airing such strong views on the issue," but offered no further comment than to say that Holding had worked with Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar in remedying his bowling action.

ICC president Ehsan Mani said that he hoped the Emerging trophy tri-series between India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka (starting on Saturday) in Colombo will lead to a resumption of cricket ties between India and Pakistan.

"It is a matter of great regret to anyone who loves cricket that these two great countries are not playing cricket against each other," said Mani.

"It is a great tragedy that politicians determine whether cricket can be resumed between the two countries," he said. Sri Lanka Cricket president Thilanga Sumathipala said that the visit of Mani and Speed to Colombo had given SLC the opportunity to outline to the ICC the five-year plan he has for the betterment of Sri Lanka cricket.

Mani attended a breakfast meeting with the executive committee of SLC where he outlined the role of the ICC. He spoke of the money that the ICC was returning to its members and, in particular, the US$20 million SLC was due to get from the ICC World Cups of 2003 and 2007 as against the US$3 million they got from the ICC World Cups of 1996 and 1999.

"We have put everything what happened before behind us and are forging ahead to make Sri Lanka a leading force in world cricket," said Sumathipala.

Sumathipala said that they were working on a new theme song for Sri Lanka Cricket to be presented before the home series against England starting in November. Mani and Speed also met the presidents and secretaries fo all cricket clubs affiliated to the District Cricket Associations.

Sri Lanka is the first country Mani has visited since being elected as ICC president in July. He hopes to visit all ICC member countries in the future.

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