Hafeez suspended from bowling

Dubai - All-rounder Mohammad Hafeez was suspended for an illegal bowling action the International Cricket Council has said on Sunday, becoming the second Pakistan player after Saeed Ajmal to face sanction in the past three months.

Hafeez, 34, had his action reported during the first Test against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi last month.

"The ICC confirmed that an independent analysis has found the bowling action of Pakistan's Hafeez to be illegal and, as such, the off-spinner has been suspended from bowling in international cricket with immediate effect," the ICC said.

The analysis revealed that all his deliveries exceeded the 15 degrees level of tolerance permitted under the regulations, the ICC added.

Hafeez can apply for a reassessment after he has modified his bowling action in accordance with the rules, the ICC said.

The analysis was performed on 24 November by the ICC's accredited team of human movement specialists using the National Cricket Performance Centre in Loughborough, England.

The suspension is a further blow for Pakistan before the next year's World Cup as they are already reeling from leading off-spinner Ajmal's suspension in September.

Hafeez, who also opens the batting, gives balance to the one-day international side having taken 122 wickets in 149 matches.

He will now miss Pakistan's five one-day internationals against New Zealand, the first of which is in Dubai on Monday.

Hafeez will have to undergo remedial work and becomes the sixth bowler suspended under a crackdown by the ICC launched in June this year.

Besides Ajmal, Sri Lanka's Sachitra Senanayake, New Zealand's Kane Williamson, Zimbabwe's Prosper Utseya and Bangladesh's Sohag Gazi have also been suspended.

Only Bangladesh's pace bowler Al-Amin Hossain was reported by umpires and then cleared on bio-mechanical analysis.

Zimbabwe's Malcolm Waller and the United Arab Emirates' Salman Farooq and Mohammad Shahzad are others who have been recently reported for suspect actions.

Under the ICC rules, bowlers are permitted to straighten their bowling arm by no more than 15 degrees during delivery.

Hafeez had shown surprise over his bowling action being questioned.

"I have been bowling with the same action for 11 years and I am surprised how it has become suspect," Hafeez said last month.

"It will be tough if we don't have Hafeez as bowler, he gives us the balance as he is two in one," Pakistan's Test and one-day captain Misbah-ul Haq said on Saturday.

Hafeez's action was also reported in 2005, but cleared on assessment, and earlier this year in a domestic T20 match in India.