Key Points

Subrayen was reported for a suspected illegal bowling action during the first ODI against Australia in Cairns on August 19 and was rested for the final two ODIs against Australia.

He subsequently underwent an independent bowling assessment at the National Cricket Centre in Brisbane on August 26, where it was revealed that the amount of elbow extension for all his deliveries was within the 15-degree level of tolerance permitted under the ICC Illegal Bowling Regulations.

This was not the first time Subrayen’s bowling action has come under scrutiny. In December 2012, Cricket South Africa (CSA) placed him in a rehabilitation program after two independent tests ruled his action illegal. Following remedial work and re-testing, he was cleared to bowl again in January 2013.

He was reported once more in September 2014 during the Champions League T20 in India, and again during a domestic T20 match in November 2015. Subsequent assessments revealed that all his deliveries exceeded the 15-degree tolerance, leading to his suspension from bowling.

After failing a re-assessment in January 2016, he eventually regained clearance to bowl in March 2016, following successful testing at CSA’s High Performance Centre.

An Illegal Bowling Action is where a player is throwing rather than bowling the ball. This is defined by the ICC as being where the player’s elbow extends by an amount of more than 15 degrees between their arm reaching the horizontal and the ball being released.

Match officials in international cricket use the naked eye and their cricketing experience to decide whether they believe a player may be using an Illegal Bowling Action and, if so, they will submit a report.

Subrayen has so far featured in two international outings for the Proteas, both of which came this year - a Test match in Zimbabwe and an ODI in Australia.

- IANS