Australian spinner Matthew Kuhnemann has come under fire over a suspected illegal bowling action.
Kuhnemann was the star bowler for the Aussies in their 2-0 Test series triumph over Sri Lanka.
The 28-year-old snared 16 wickets for the tourists – the most among the bowling contingent – at 17.18, making him Australia’s most successful left-arm spinner in Sri Lanka.
What made Kuhnemann’s feat more impressive was the fact he recovered from a dislocated and fractured thumb he suffered playing for the Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash just weeks prior.
However, Kuhnemann’s success now comes under a cloud of doubt after he was reported by match officials over his suspect bowling action.
As a result, the Queenslander now has to undergo a rigorous mandatory assessment to determine whether his action is legal.
According to CODE Sports, the tests will take place at the Centre of Excellence in Brisbane where a bio-mechanist will analyse Kuhnemann’s action and report their findings to the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Should Kuhnemann’s action be deemed illegal, he would be suspended from bowling until he tweaks his action and passes another assessment.
In a statement, Cricket Australia expressed their surprise at the decision to report Kuhnemann.
“The Australian team was notified of the match officials’ referral following the second Test against Sri Lanka in Galle and will support Matt through the process of clearing this matter,” the statement read.
“Matt has played 124 professional matches since his debut in 2017, including five Test matches and four one-day internationals. He has played 55 Big Bash League games since 2018.
“This is the first time in those eight years of professional cricket that his action been questioned.
“Cricket Australia will liaise closely with the ICC and independent experts in line with ICC regulations. No further comment will be made by Cricket Australia or Matthew until the matter is resolved.”
At present, Kuhnemann remains eligible to play first-class cricket for Tasmania but cannot play international cricket until the assessment is complete.
According to the ICC, bowlers are granted 15 degrees of flex with their bowling arm.
Anything more than that would be deemed an illegal bowling action.
However, former Australian international Brad Hodge believes Kuhnemann will have nothing to stress about when it comes to the assessment.
“Well it’s pretty disappointing, for Matt Kuhnemann isn’t it,” Hodge told Channel 7.
“He’s the leading wicket-taker for Australia.
“There’s someone that’s gone upstairs – the match referees – who have said we need to have a look at this action. It doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with his action.
“Just on the way they conduct it, there’s a 15 degree leniency in the bend, they’ll just have to go through that and see whether it’s breaking that law.
“I don’t think there’s too much to worry about for Matt Kuhnemann as we speak.”
Australia has one match remaining on their five-game tour of Sri Lanka.
The visitors picked up a 2-0 win in the Test series but lost the first of their two scheduled One Day Internationals, as Sri Lanka won by 49 runs.
The final ODI begins on Friday.
