Holding: Doosra cannot be bowled in a legal way

Pakistan's spinners have wreaked havoc with their doosras in the team's two victories over the West Indies in the ongoing ODI series but former Windies fast bowling legend Michael Holding has raised questions on the legality of the doosra.

Michael Holding is feels Doosra cannot be bowled legally

Barbados: Apr 27, 2011

Pakistan’s spinners have wreaked havoc with their doosras in the team’s two victories over the West Indies in the ongoing ODI series but former Windies fast bowling legend Michael Holding has raised questions on the legality of the doosra.

The trio of Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Hafeez and Shahid Afridi have chipped in with impressive combined figures of eight wickets for 202 runs from 60 overs they have bowled so far in Pakistan’s easy eight-wicket and seven-wicket wins in two matches.

Hafeez and Ajmal have managed to trouble the West Indies batsmen with their virtually unplayable doosras but Holding, who is now a renowned commentator had said that he was not convinced.

“My belief regarding the doosra is very clear, I don’t think it can be bowled legally,” Holding had said during the second ODI between Pakistan and West Indies in St Lucia.

Insisting that doosra could not be bowled from the wrist alone and that the elbow is used unfairly during the course of bowling the delivery, Holding told PakPassion.net, “I find it difficult to believe any human being can bowl that delivery with his wrist alone, the elbow has to be used for the power.

“It’s a matter of how much elbow power the bowler uses and the ICC obviously believe some bowlers use less than the 15 degrees and others don’t, as only some bowlers actions are questioned and reported.”

According to the current guidelines during the bowling action the elbow may be held at any angle and may bend further, but may not straighten out. If the elbow straightens illegally, then the square-leg umpire may call a no-ball.

The current laws allow a bowler to straighten his arm only 15 degrees or less.

The experts of the game have time and again questioned the legality of doosra over the years, with a number of high profile off spinners being called for throwing.

Sri Lankan spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan was called for throwing by umpire Darell Hair the 1995 Boxing day test match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Thereafter, Hafeez, Ajmal, Shoaib Malik and Harbhajan Singh have been reported to the ICC because of official concerns about their bowling actions but were never called in a match.

Other off spinners who have come under the ICC scanner for illegal actions are South Africa’s Johan Botha and Abdur Razzak of Bangladesh.

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