ACB takes no action over Shoaib video

Yes there is a video. No, nothing is going to be done with it. The Australian Cricket Board announced yesterday that they would take no action on an unsolicited videotape of Shoaib Akhtar's bowling action sent to them by the Western Australia Director of Umpires, Ric Evans.

Media reports around the world today have incorrectly reported "Shoaib cleared of throwing by ACB". He hasn't been "cleared", whatever that means - the question simply hasn't arisen.

Former first-clss umpire Evans, acting following discussions with umpires Ross Emerson and Terry Prue, who stood in Pakistan's one-day game with Western Australia, sent the ACB a seventeen-minute tape of Akhtar bowling in the match. As the umpires did not make any comment on Akhtar's bowling action in the report of the match, there was no basis for forwarding an additional report in the form of a videotape or any other means. Additionally, the ICC, who do have regulations for investigating reports of suspect bowling actions, do not have jurisdiction over tour matches.

ACB chief executive Mal Speed said yesterday that no action would be taken over the tape because it fell outside all the guidelines for jurisdiction. There was no reason for the ACB to question the umpires' decision not to submit a report, nor to submit the tape to the ICC for action, Speed said.

Pakistan team manager Yawar Saeed was notified of the ACB's decision and is being sent a copy of the videotape, as well as informing the ICC 'as a matter of course" that a tape has been received. "Apart from this, there is no compelling reason to take any action", Speed said.

WA Umpires Director Evans has accepted responsibility as the person who instigated the preparation of the video, which was taken from television footage of the game last Wednesday at the WACA, which Western Australia won narrowly. It is understood that the decision to prepare the video was made after Evans, Emerson and Prue watched taped replays of the game. Evans is reported to have said that he was not making a complaint about Akhtar's action, rather that he "wished to draw attention to a matter that might arise later in the season".

It is not known whether he checked with the ACB to see whether anything could be done with the videotape before he sent it away. It is being stressed officially that neither Ross Emerson nor Terry Prue were responsible for making the decision to prepare the video evidence.

Emerson has previously no-balled bowlers for throwing on three occasions in senior matches. He called Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan in a one-day international in 1995-96, and Queensland offie Geoff Foley in a Sheffield Shield match in 1997-98. He again no-balled Muralitharan in another one-day international last January. Both Emerson and Prue were axed as international umpires after the ACB's International Panel was downsized following last season.

The existence of the tape was leaked to Perth media on Monday afternoon. The package arrived at the ACB's Melbourne headquarters yesterday Wednesday, delayed in the post due to a public holiday on Tuesday.

While the precise contents of the video are not known, Network Ten - the television channel which broke the story on Monday - was focusing in their news last night on one delivery from Akhtar at the WACA last Wednesday.

I have seen this footage of this one delivery, and there does appear to me to be a slight hint of hyperextension of the arm prior to release of the ball - but nothing that in my opinion would constitute damning evidence of a throw.

Australian players and administrators have all distanced themselves from the controversy. Likewise the Pakistani camp, beset by form problems after losing every match leading up to tomorrow's First Test, appear keen to put the matter out of their minds as well.

Nevertheless, the innuendo generated by this episode, together with memories of past controversies with touring teams in Australia, has cast a shadow over the prelude to a Test series between two highly talented sides. What should be an exciting series does not need this sort of adverse publicity to generate interest.