Why does Shoaib Akhtar keep his sleeves rolled down?

This has prompted many to come out and make their doubts official. In fact, many say that it8217;s difficult for TV to detect his odd 8220;chuck8221; since Akhtar8217;s sleeves are always rolled down. And so the naked eye cannot catch the anomaly, slow-motion replays and freeze frames can reveal more.

SaysBishen Singh Bedi: 8220;All fast bowlers keep their sleeves rolled up, not Akhtar. This causes the doubt. I have been amazed by the speed of some of his deliveries. He definitely has a cumbersome action.8221;

Mumbai Ranji captain Milind Rege says he has had his doubts. 8220;I am quite convinced that the extremely quick delivery that Shoaib bowls and the one that really troubled the top-order Indian batsmen with its speed in the air is doubtful,8221; he says.

8220;Cent per cent he chucks,8221; says Manoj Prabhakar. 8220;When I talked to some of the commentators, they told me that it had already been reported to the ICC.8221; Kirti Azad, too, says that some commentators have said, in private, that Akhtar8217;s action is suspect. 8220;I will leave it to the umpires and the ICC8230;as a fellow-cricketer, I wouldn8217;t like to comment.8221;

Things shouldn8217;t have reached this stage, says Ram Babu Gupta, the only Indian to have officiated as umnpire in a World Cup final. 8220;The umpire has to take a lead role. If he feels the bowler chucks, he shouldnot hesitate in calling him. Nowadays the ICC-panel umpires refer the matter either to the third umpire or to the ICC, shifting their responsibilities.8221;

But there are also some who give Akhtar a clean chit. Former India batsman Polly Umrigar believes that although Akhtar8217;s 8220;wrist is cocked when he bowls that extra-fast delivery,8221; on the face of it, he doesn8217;t appear to chuck. For, 8220;if he were chucking, the chances of the ball swinging would be remote. Moreover, look at his follow through, it8217;s very smooth and there is no stagger or jerking movement immediately after delivery.8221;

Umrigar claims that whenever sub-continental bowlers start taking wickets, a smear campaign begins. Examples: Sri Lankans Mutiah Muralitharan and Kumara Dharmasena and Indians Rajesh Chauhan and Harbhajan Singh.

Interestingly, Akhtar has had a very ordinary Test career barring the two spectacular performances in Durban and Calcutta. While he has played against the West Indies at home, South Africa in S.A, Zimbabwe inBulwayo, Australia and Zimbabwe at home, India in Calcutta and Sri Lanka Dhaka, his careergraph has been pedestrian. Other than the five-wicket haul at Durban and the eight wicket match figures in Calcutta, Akhtar has never taken more than two wickets in an innings and more often than not has gone for a fair number of runs. At Johannesburg against the South Africans, he was caned 1-84 and 0-21, against Zimbabwe at Bulwayo the analysis were 2-83 and 2-67, against Australia at Peshawar 2-107 and 1-68.

Noted international umpire Piloo Reporter says there8217;s nothing wrong with Akhtar8217;s action. 8220;I have watched him at length, both in the Asian Test championships and the tri-series and I don8217;t have an iota of doubt that Akhtar is in the clear. Let me add that even if his action is minutely studied through slow-mos, it will be very difficult to prove whether it is suspect. I think Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi is next on the hit list for his faster one is certainly suspect8230;my heart wept for hereis a bowler who can turn into one of the most endearing characters of the game.8221;

Reporter reckons that opponents plant a seed of doubt in the minds of the umpires if they feel that a particular bowler is taking unfair advantage. The law states clearly that if a senior umpire is not 8220;entirely satisfied8221; with the action under the MCC laws, then he submits a report to the ICC. The moot point here is that the umpires at Calcutta and Dhaka were Steve Bucknor and Dave Orchard, and Doug Cowie and David Shephard respectively.

But as the report emanates out of Sri Lanka, could it be that Sri Lankan umpire K T Francis who was third umpire in Calcutta has raised the spectre of doubt? Shoaib Akhtar who has apparently modelled himself on fellow Pakistan fast bowler Waqar Younis will now definitely be on the ICC watch list! But the question is will Pakistan pull him out or push him into the frontline?