A Bend In The Rule

It is bewildering to find so many off-spinners being reported against for having suspect bowling actions - Muttiah Muralidharan, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez, Harbhajan Singh, and the list continues. What is especially noteworthy in this regard is that only the biomechanics and software experts and not the umpires and match referees can judge whether or not a bowler is throwing. The simple reason behind this is that a human eye is not equipped with a compass so as to determine whether or not the angle of the bowling arm during delivery is exceeding the stipulated limit of fifteen degrees. The ICC should see to it that such technical tangles do not jeopardise the careers of cricketers and mar the globalisation of the game.