Matthew Kuhnemann cleared of suspected illegal bowling action

DUBAI: Australia spin bowler Matthew Kuhnemann has been cleared to continue bowling in international cricket after his action was deemed to be legal by the sport’s global body following an independent assessment.

Matthew Kuhnemann was reported by match officials for a suspected illegal bowling action after he took 16 wickets in Australia’s 2-0 test series win over Sri Lanka this month and he underwent an assessment at the National Cricket Centre in Brisbane.

A bowler is allowed 15 degrees of extension in their elbow before a delivery is considered illegal.

The International Cricket Council added on Wednesday the amount of elbow extension for all of Kuhnemann’s deliveries was found to be within the level of tolerance permitted under the ICC Illegal Bowling Regulations.

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The case of Matthew Kuhnemann had generated debate in Australia because of the 28-year-old’s previously spotless record in more than 100 professional matches dating back to 2017, including five tests and four one-day internationals.

Australian cricket team is currently in Pakistan for the ongoing Champions Trophy. However, their highly anticipated Australia vs South Africa match was cancelled due to heavy rain in Rawalpindi on Tuesday.

After the cancellation of the match, both teams are awarded one point each as the downpour washed out all chances of play.

The Group B teams now have three points each, while the other two teams in the group, England and Afghanistan, remain at zero.

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The clash was expected to play a crucial role in determining which team would potentially qualify for the Champions Trophy. Had the match taken place and South Africa defeated Australia, they would have secured a spot in the semi-finals with four points and a strong net run rate.

However, with both South Africa and Australia now tied at three points, the balance has shifted in favour of Afghanistan. So its time for Afghans to pick up calculator to count points and play the game of ‘ifs and buts’.