Following their crushing 98-run victory over Australia in the first ODI, South Africa were dealt a major blow ahead of the second match of the series. It all started after their all-rounder Prenelan Subrayen was reported for suspect bowling action during the one-day clash against Australia in Cairns. Notably, this match was the off-spinner's debut in the format and though he failed to deliver with the bat and got dismissed for a run, he did end up bowling a decent 10-over spell of 1/46.
Subrayen will now need to undergo an assessment of his bowling action at testing facility within 14 days. Though he is free to play matches until he undergoes the test, South Africa coach Shukri Conrad confirmed that Subrayen will not be featuring in the remaining two ODIs against Australia.
Speaking ahead of the second ODI, Conrad said that they are looking to make Subrayen undergo the test in Brisbane where Cricket Australia's National Cricket Centre is located.
"He's available to play. You are allowed to play until you get tested. We just felt that less noise and get him out of the public eye, make sure he is okay and focuses on the testing," Conrad said.
"The process is to get him tested as soon as we can and we are looking to do it in Brisbane. That suits everyone. We are going to the UK via Brisbane so hopefully we can get it sooner rather than later," he added.
Subrayen's action has been reported before
Notably, this is not the first time that Subrayen has been reported for a suspect bowling action. The 31-year-old first faced scrutiny for the same reason back in 2012 when his action was deemed illegal following two tests. This had even led to Cricket South Africa (CSA) placing him under rehabilitation. He was also reported for his action during the Champions League T20 tournament in India and once again during a domestic match in 2015.
"He has gone through this process before. It's never easy. It's taken him a long time to make his debut and we are rallying around him. Next week will reveal a lot and we will take it from there," Conrad said.
"They've [the ICC] flagged 12 balls which they've forwarded to us. He has got to emulate those 12 balls during the test. We are going to be sending our bowling coach (Piet Botha) with him for support and for us to gain some knowledge about how these things work," he further added.
Meanwhile, the second ODI of the three-match series between Australia and South Africa will be contested on August 22 at the Great Barrier Reef Arena located in Mackay.