No problems with Saeed Ajmal's action when bowling doosras, says 'inventor' Saqlain

Islamabad, Jan 24 (ANI): Former Pakistani bowler Saqlain Mushtaq has come to the rescue of Saaed Ajmal's mysterious delivery style, saying "there are absolutely no problems" with the former's bowling action.

"There are absolutely no problems with Saeed Ajmal's bowling action. Bob Willis is not the cricketing authority - it's the ICC, the umpires and referees who are there to deem whether a bowling action is legal or illegal. Saeed Ajmal has been playing International cricket long enough now for his bowling action to have been thoroughly scrutinised around the world, by all umpire and referees. In addition he played County cricket last season, there was no mention of his bowling action then. I would urge Ajmal not to worry about anything and instead concentrate on bowling well in the remainder of the series," Pak Passion quoted Saqlain, as saying.

Saqlain also revealed how he developed the doosra at a young age on the rooftops of Lahore and why some off spinners struggle to bowl the delivery, despite being excellent bowlers.

"The doosra was a blessing for me. It was all my prayers answered in one. I used to ask the Almighty to give me something special, something that was unique and the Almighty answered my prayers and gave me the ability to bowl the doosra."

"I discovered the doosra whilst playing cricket on the flat roofs of our house and neighbours houses in Lahore using a table tennis ball. I was 5 or 6 years old and my cousins and I would play some cricket matches on the flat roof. I started to experiment with the table tennis ball and bowl the ball at the wall with various grips to see what the result was. When I was 8 or 9 years old I knew how to bowl leg spin, how to use my fingers for various deliveries and how adjusting my grip would make the ball spin in differing ways. By 9 years of age, I knew how to bowl the flipper and how to bowl off spin."

"Gradually with the course of time I worked out how to bowl the Doosra effectively and how to adjust the grip and worked out properly which fingers I needed to use to bowl the Doosra, how to use my shoulder and how the ring finger helped with the Doosra. Playing on the rooftops at home though was where I really learnt how to bowl the Doosra," he added.

Earlier this month, Pakistan's interim coach Mohsin Khan also rejected criticism over Ajmal's bowling action, saying that both he and Ajmal were unfazed by negative remarks.

Pakistan wicket-keeper Adnan Akmal, however, said today that he too, like England batsmen, gets occasionally flummoxed with the former's disguised 'doosras'.

"I had some trouble keeping on Ajmal's doosra," The Express Tribune quoted Adnan, as saying while referring to the delivery that turns the other way than the off-break.

"I worked with Ijaz Ahmed [fielding coach] and the drills helped me a lot. It's a bit different and difficult to keep off him. I've practiced a lot and every time I keep wickets I watch his hand," he added. (ANI)