COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP):Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews gave his backing yesterday to spin bowler Tharindu Kaushal despite a ban for one of his bowling actions, raising the prospect of him being selected for the upcoming Test series against the West Indies.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has banned Kaushal’s way of bowling a “doosra” – a ball delivered with an off spinner’s action, but which spins away from a right-handed batsman – because it exceeds the level of allowed elbow flexion. However, the ICC cleared the 22-year-old Kaushal to bowl his stock ball, the off spin.
Mathews said that he and the team management hoped to rectify Kaushal’s doosra action and have it cleared as well. The two-Test series between the two sides starts on October 14.
“We strongly believe that Tharindu Kaushal is a very valuable player in the side. There is no problem with his off spin and we hope to rectify his doosra and have it cleared as well,” Mathews told a news conference. “We have a lot of trust in him.”
Both teams are in transition after the retirement of many experienced players.