Former Test umpire Paul Wilson said the match officials who reported Matthew Kuhnemann for a suspect bowling action would not have taken that action lightly, but are not necessarily accusing the Australian Test spinner of being a “chucker”.
A dream tour of Sri Lanka, during which Kuhnemann took a series-high 16 wickets at 17.18 in two Tests, was followed by a nightmarish postscript when the International Cricket Council announced on Wednesday that he had been cited over “concerns about the legality of the 28-year-old’s bowling action”.
Having appeared in five Tests, he is now ineligible to bowl again at international level until he has been cleared by the ICC. That process will require the left-arm tweaker undergoing an independent assessment of his action by a human-movement specialist appointed by the governing body within 14 days.
In the meantime, he will be allowed to continue playing for his state side, Tasmania, and is expected to line up in the Sheffield Shield clash against South Australia next week.
Wilson, who spent a decade as an ICC umpire and continues to officiate in franchise tournaments around the world, said the decision to report Kuhnemann would have involved input not just from the on-field officials, West Indian Joel Wilson and South Africa’s Adrian Holdstock, but also TV umpire Chris Gaffaney (New Zealand) and reserve umpire Prageeth Rambukwella (Sri Lanka).
“As an umpire, it’s an area that’s obviously very delicate, any time you’re filing a report,” Wilson said.
Matthew Kuhnemann won’t be able to play for Australia again until the ICC has cleared his bowling action.Credit: AP
“But what you have to remember is that nobody is saying he’s guilty or anything like that. No one is saying any bowler is beyond the 15 degrees. No-one is insinuating anything. But they obviously felt some of his deliveries needed to be investigated further.
“So it is a really delicate one, and it’s not a pleasant experience to file a report like that on any bowler. They must have had some concerns and that’s why Matt has to go off and get tested.”
Wilson said the decision would not have hinged solely on what umpires saw on the field.
“Effectively it has to be based on what you’ve seen live, but that would be confirmed by footage that you would subsequently look at,” he said.
Former Test umpire Paul Wilson, left, with Paul Reiffel.Credit: Getty Images
“You’ve got the TV umpire there with all the camera angles, so what would probably happen is that the on-field umpires might have flagged a couple of deliveries they’ve seen, and then – quite rightfully, actually – they would watch replays.
“If that confirms what they’ve seen live, then the next step is to file a report.”
Wilson declined to comment on Kuhnemann’s action, other than to say: “It’s been well documented that he’s played a lot of cricket and never had any problems.”
How will Kuhnemann’s action be tested?
The testing procedure can potentially take place at the National Cricket Centre in Brisbane, although the ICC’s preference is that it is conducted overseas.
When Sydney Thunder spinner Chris Green was reported for a suspect action in 2020, the biomechanical testing lasted for several hours and involved him bowling about 30 balls, surrounded by 18 cameras.
Bowlers have markers attached to their shoulder, upper arm, forearm, hand and on the ball, and infrared beams of light bounce off the markers. This data is fed into a computer-software package that allows experts to assess the bowling action.
An action is considered illegal if there is more than a 15-degree straightening of the elbow joint from upper-arm horizontal to ball release.
Green and South African spinner Johan Botha, who spent a large portion of his career playing in Australia’s Big Bash League and Sheffield Shield competitions, were both eventually cleared by the ICC-appointed experts to resume bowling.
Johan Botha underwent biomechanical testing during his career after being reported for a suspect action.Credit: AAP
But Botha feels the whole episode has left a stain on his reputation.
“It is a long process and unfortunately either way if you get cleared or not, it will always be there,” Botha said in an interview with SEN radio on Thursday.
“Guys think it’s a one-off and you get rid of it. That is not how it is. It is a bit of a process. For now he will have to bowl at a similar speed and revolutions as he did in the Tests. Nothing gets changed now.
“Now he needs to try and prove himself not guilty and from there on if it is a ball or so over 15 degrees, he will obviously have some work to do, then a long process starts.
“It never goes away because there is always someone in the crowd, someone in the opposition, or a match referee who wants to have a say or wants to feel a part of it.”
Botha was not surprised that Kuhnemann had been reported after dominating the series in Sri Lanka.
“It is never the guy who gets 0-100,” he said. “It is the guys who get wickets and affect games. They are the ones under scrutiny.”
CA said in a statement on Wednesday that it would “support Matt through the process of clearing this matter” and would “liaise closely with the ICC and independent experts in line with ICC regulations”.
The media release noted that Kuhnemann’s action had never previously been questioned in his eight years playing professionally.
