PCB urges ICC to treat Shoaib case as 'special'

ISLAMABAD, NOV. 13. After initially adopting an all out offensive and defiant strategy against the International Cricket Council (ICC) decision to have fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar go through stage two of the ICC bowling action review process, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has now settled for a more sedate but effective approach, urging the ICC to treat his case as a `special one'.

A letter had been sent to the ICC headquarters in which it had been asked to treat the case as a special one due to its different nature and secondly to appoint a sub-committee to review the case and report back to the executive board, the news, quoting PCB director Munawwar Rana said on Tuesday.

``What we feel is that Shoaib definitely does not violate any cricket rules and he does not chuck. His problem arises out of the peculiar physical characteristics he possesses which gives him hyper-mobility in the joints of his bowling arm,'' Rana said.

``As a result when he bowls flat out, an illusion is created that he is bending his arm at the point of delivery when this is not the case. This is something which has been confirmed in writing in the detailed report of the Bio-mechanics department of the University of Western Australia,'' he added.

``What we are asking the ICC to do is to review Shoaib's case keeping all this in mind. We feel he should not be put through stage two of the ICC bowling action review process, where he has to work with the ICC-appointed bowling advisor for three months,'' Rana added.

``Since Shoaib has already gone through stage one of the ICC review process and his action has been cleared by a panel of experts, the ICC should now appoint a sub-committee to submit its recommendations to the executive board,'' explained Rana.

He pointed out that presently there was no clause in the ICC bowling action review process which dealt with special cases like that of Shoaib, where he had been cleared by experts and through medical tests, but due to his peculiar physiology with respect to hyper-mobility, his action at times created an illusion and he was being reported by ICC officials.

``That is why we have sent the letter to the ICC asking for the constitution of the sub-committee and subsequent review,'' he maintained.

The PCB has also said it would support Shoaib if he decides to go to court to appeal against any action of the ICC.

The PCB director confirmed that in the letter, they had discussed the appointment of former West Indian great Michael Holding as bowling advisor.

- UNI

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