Kirtley asks for ECB clearance

Sussex have asked the ECB to assess Richard Kirtley's action in a bid to enable him to start the new season.

Kirtley was suspended by the ECB in October and told that he had to remodel his action following an independent assessment of his action at the National Cricket Centre. The assessment was undertaken by Dr Mark King, an expert from Loughborough University, after Kirtley was reported to the ECB twice during the 2005 season. King concluded that his action was outside ICC limits. Kirtley was first reported during his debut international series when England played Zimbabwe in 2001.

He has spent the winter working with Mark Robinson, Sussex's cricket manager, in a bid to remedy the problem. "The guidelines and review procedures are more stringent than they were the first time James was asked to remodel his action," Robinson told the Daily Telegraph. "It's been a fascinating, yet scary and lonely process for both of us, but James has taken it on the chin."