Desperate Sri Lanka wants to fast-track Akila’s return
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Akila Dananjaya played for Colts against BRC yesterday - Pic by Priyantha Wickramaarachchi
In a desperate bid to strengthen the national team’s bowling attack, suspended spinner Akila Dananjaya was put to the test under match conditions in a domestic game yesterday, for the first time since he remodeled his controversial bowling action.
Appearing for Colts CC, the right arm-spinner bowled with cameras capturing his action to see whether his remodeled bowling action meets satisfaction.
Dananjaya–Sri Lanka’s main strike bowler in limited-over cricket during the last 12 months bowled 19 overs, taking three wickets for 50 runs yesterday with control and accuracy.
“On Monday we will analyze the video footages to see whether we can be satisfied with the remodeled action,” said Asanka Gurusinha, the Chief Cricket Operations of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC). “If we are, then we will fly him to India for an assessment before sending for ICC clearance.
“The International Cricket Council ( ICC), the sport’s governing body, announced last month that tests had proved Dananjaya has an illegal action. He flexed as much as 23 degrees in some deliveries, much higher than the legal limit of 15. While most of his deliveries exceeded the legal limit, a few were bowled below the allowed degree of elbow extension.
Since being suspended, Akila has gone back to the drawing board, spending hours and hours at nets and trying to fix his action while retaining the same impact under the watchful eyes of Piyal Wijetunga, a spin bowling coach attached to SLC.
Gurusinha also said the Board is trying to get the clearance for off-spinner Tharindu Kaushal who has made several changes since being reported for illegal bowling action in 2015.
SLC is keen to have both of them ready for Sri Lanka’s tour of South Africa, the last international assignment before the World Cup starting end May.