Richardson backs timing of bowling crackdown

The ICC's chief executive David Richardson has defended the timing of the recent clampdown on illegal bowling actions, which has resulted in Saeed Ajmal and other spinners being suspended months before a World Cup, reports Cricinfo.
Ajmal's loss could hamper Pakistan's chances in the tournament but he is just one of a number of spinners to be banned in recent months.
Sohag Gazi of Bangladesh, Prosper Utseya of Zimbabwe and Kane Williamson of New Zealand have all been reported and suspended since the June meeting of the ICC's cricket committee, where recommendations were made for stronger scrutiny of bowling actions.
But the timing of the action has been the subject of debate, given that it has come within nine months of the World Cup, which starts on February 14.
"If we decide that there's something wrong with the game, why should we wait until after a World Cup?" Richardson told reporters in Dubai.
"I think we'd reached that straw that broke the camel's back. There were just too many bowlers starting to emerge that people were starting to worry about.
"I think it was simply that we said no, this is far enough. It's arguable that we should have taken this kind of action earlier.
That we can take on the chin."
Any of the bowlers already suspended can have their action re-tested if they believe they have corrected the flaws, meaning that Ajmal and the others could feasibly still bowl at the World Cup.
However, he would still be at risk of being reported again during the World Cup, and at ICC events the usual rules requiring testing to take place within 21 days of being reported do not apply.
"There's a shortened testing time frame for ICC events," Geoff Allardice, the ICC's general manager of cricket, said. "A bowler needs to be tested within seven days. So pretty much, if you were reported in a World Cup for instance, you'd be straight off to the nearest testing facility, which we would have ready to go and the results would be fast-tracked."
The introduction of more testing centres - currently ICC-accredited testing can take place in Brisbane, Chennai, Cardiff or Loughborough - means the 21-day requirement might soon be reduced to 14 due to greater availability of venues.
But what is not likely to change any time soon is the ICC's wider approach to illegal actions, with the 15-degree rule seeming to be set in stone.
A perceived imbalance in the contest between bat and ball has led to some commentators arguing that the doosra should be allowed in the same way that batting innovations such as the switch hit have been permitted.