Degree of uncertainty

Incidentally,Lorgat is staying in the same hotel as the Indian team,and the South African watched the India-Pakistan match from the Bangladesh Cricket Board president’s box located within the grandstand of the Sher-e-Bangla stadium. But Lorgat remains unmoved. “We have tested him before,we have monitored him even in the live situations,he bowls within the allowed degree of tolerance,” said Lorgat. “So there isn’t any issue with Ajmal. You are allowed to bowl with an arm that you don’t straighten in the course of action and he is well within the degrees of tolerance

Tendulkar was dismissed on 52,the second wicket to fall in India’s successful run-chase of 330. India coach Duncan Fletcher,flanked by Tendulkar and skipper MS Dhoni in the dressing room,was seen on live telecast,imitating Ajmal’s action with an elaborate emphasis on the angle of the elbow at the time of release. The Indian team believes that Ajmal is getting too much leeway from the umpires and match referees,especially when he bowls the delivery that goes the other way.

According to team sources,coach Fletcher is of the view that when the Pakistan off-spinner bowls the doosra he exceeds the ICC’s level of 15 degree tolerance. It is a view that has been seconded by Tendulkar and the senior players in the team. India team manager Arindam Ganguly confirmed on Monday that a discussion was held among the senior players over the legality of Ajmal’s action.

“There was an objection raised over Ajmal’s doosra. We are not only questioning the legality of the delivery that dismissed Tendulkar but also a few more such deliveries bowled during the innings by the off-spinner,” Ganguly said. “We also feel that there is an issue with other deliveries,other than the doosra also.” Ganguly added that the team,however,had not yet made an official complaint to the parent board.

An Indian batsman said that this was not the first time that Ajmal’s action was up for discussion in the Indian dressing room. “The angle of his elbow makes it very difficult to pick his delivery. It becomes hard to judge which side the ball will turn,” the player said. “Ajmal’s action has come under scrutiny earlier and we are not the first team to have felt that the ICC must take a closer look at it.”

Pressure tactics?

Pakistan Cricket Board’s director of international cricket Intikhab Alam said that the team had received no official word from the match referee or the umpires on the Ajmal issue,a fact that was confirmed by Pakistan team manager Naveed Akram Cheema.

However,it is said to be widely believed in the Pakistan dressing room that Team India,by not lodging an official protest but at the same time ensuing that the ICC know about their objection,are trying to pressurise the 34-year-old off-spinner ahead of a potential clash between the two teams in the Asia Cup final.

This is not the first time that Ajmal’s action has come under the scanner. When England played Pakistan in Dubai,former fast bowler Bob Willis,now a commentator,had raised serious objections over the off-spinner’s elbow — accusing him of chucking in no uncertain terms.