ICC gives final verdict on South Africa spinner after he was reported for an illegal bowling action during ODIs vs Australia

South Africa's star spinner Prenelan Subrayen has been cleared by the International Cricket Council (ICC) to continue bowling in international cricket. The 31-year-old spinner had been reported for an illegal bowling action during the first One-Day International against Australia last month.

On August 26, the spinner underwent an independent assessment at the National Cricket Centre in Brisbane, which disclosed that the extension of his elbow was well within the 15-degree limit allowed by the ICC's regulations. Subrayen has played two international matches for South Africa this year, a Test in Zimbabwe and an ODI in Australia, and has taken a total of five wickets. During the recent tour of Australia, the Proteas lost the T20I series 1-2 but went on to win the ODI series. Subrayen picked up a wicket in the first match of that ODI series.

Prenelan Subrayen cleared of illegal bowling action

After his bowling action was cleared, Subrayen is now free to continue his international career. The off-spinner has played in two international matches for South Africa this year, a Test in Zimbabwe and an ODI in Australia, and has taken five wickets in total. He will now be looking to add to that tally.

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During South Africa's recent tour of Australia, the team lost the T20I series 1-2 but bounced back to win the ODI series. In the first ODI, Subrayen was instrumental in the team's commanding 98-run victory, taking the crucial wicket of Travis Head. He finished his 10-over spell with impressive figures of 1/46.

The opening match of the series was Subrayen's ODI debut, which came two months after he received his first Test cap against Zimbabwe. A bowler's arm is permitted to extend up to 15 degrees between the point where it becomes horizontal and the moment the ball is released.

According to reports from ESPNcricinfo, this is not the first time that Subrayen's bowling action was been questioned. In December 2012, Cricket South Africa (CSA) put him through a rehabilitation program after two independent tests found his action to be illegal. He was cleared to resume bowling in January 2013 after undergoing remedial work and passing a retest.

Subrayen's action was again called into question during the 2014 Champions League T20 tournament in India. Then, in November 2015, he was reported once more and subsequently suspended after tests showed his arm exceeded the 15-degree limit. He failed a re-assessment test in January 2016 but was finally cleared to bowl at the CSA's High Performance Centre in March 2016.