South African spin bowler all-rounder Prenelan Subrayen has been reported for a questionable bowling action, two games into his international career. The International Cricket Council (ICC) confirmed on Wednesday that doubts about Subrayen's action were raised by match officials following the first ODI against Australia in Cairns on Tuesday.
Subrayen will now be subjected to an independent analysis in an ICC-certified testing laboratory to ascertain whether his bowling action meets the 15-degree flexion limit prescribed under international cricket regulations, the ICC states.
In spite of the scandal, Subrayen contributed importantly to South Africa's dominant 98-run victory in the series opener. Bowling a full allocation of 10 overs, he took figures of 1 for 46, removing the important wicket of Australia's aggressive opener Travis Head.
It is not the first time that Subrayen has been in the spotlight for his bowling action. In December 2012, Cricket South Africa (CSA) put him under rehabilitation after two independent tests on different occasions ruled his action illegal. He was cleared in January 2013 to bowl once more after remedial work and re-testing.
Yet, there were renewed concerns in the 2014 Champions League T20 when he was reported once more. In 2015, Subrayen was reported in November and then suspended when it was discovered that his arm extension was above the permitted 15 degrees.
In January 2016, he passed a reassessment test but then went on to regain clearance to bowl two months later after conducting remedial work at CSA's High Performance Centre.
Subrayen's ODI debut occurred only two months after he had received his first Test cap against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo. His quick promotion into the national team appeared to signal a new beginning in his career. This recent setback has now raised question marks over whether he will play in the rest of the series against Australia.
South Africa will play the second ODI on August 22 and the last match on August 24 in Mackay. The team management has not yet made a confirmation on whether Subrayen will stay in the playing XI until the assessment by the ICC.
For South Africa, the news is an unwanted distraction in what is otherwise proving to be a lucrative tour. For Subrayen, history seems to be repeating itself, with another struggle uphill to test the legality of his bowling action and win his spot in international cricket.
