Pakistan fans start online war after Mohammad Hafeez ban, challenge ICC with examples of Indian bowlers

Hafeez was reported during the third ODI match against Sri Lanka last month in Abu Dhabi, and had undergone an independent assessment of his bowling action on 1 November at Loughborough University.

Pakistan fans start online war after Mohammad Hafeez ban, challenge ICC with examples of Indian bowlers Courtesy: PTI

New Delhi: Fuming Pakistan cricket fans challenged International Cricket Council (ICC) for banning Mohammad Hafeez from bowling in international cricket by taking examples of Indian spinners like Ravichandran Ashwin, Kedar Jadhav and Harbhajan Singh.

The ICC released a statement on Thursday, saying "an independent assessment has found the bowling action of Pakistan’s Mohammad Hafeez to be illegal and, as such, the off-spinner has been suspended from bowling in international cricket with immediate effect."

"The assessment revealed that the majority of his deliveries exceeded the 15 degrees level of tolerance permitted under the regulations," it added.

Hafeez was reported during the third ODI match against Sri Lanka last month in Abu Dhabi, and had undergone an independent assessment of his bowling action on 1 November at Loughborough University.

It was third such ban for the 37-year-old.

Hafeez then took to Twitter to plead his innocence, and soon, Pakistan fans started questioning ICC's verdict. And to prove their point, they used Indian bowlers as a point of reference.

Hafeez can apply for a re-assessment after modifying his bowling action in accordance with clause 4.5 of the Regulations.

Hafeez, 37, has been suspended on two previous occasions for the same offence and served a 12-month ban from July, 2015 after his action was found to be illegal for the second time in a two-year period.

The all-rounder has played 50 Tests, 195 ODIs and 81 T20Is, scoring 3452, 5959 and 1658 runs. He has also taken 52 Test, 136 ODI and 49 T20I wickets.