About time

So, Shabbir Ahmed finally bites the dust. He gets a one-year ban from the ICC after failing tests.

While I think the ICC policy on chuckers has been confusing, and I've lost track what is legal anymore and what isn't, I'll say one thing: Shabbir's action was by far, the most flagrant violation of the thou-not-shalt-straighten-thy-arm dictum. The first time I saw him bowl, I did not know who he was (I think this was last year against India in an ODI), and I sat up, alarmed at his action. I asked a Pakistani acquaintance what he thought of his action, and his response was "oh, yeah, he has problems!".

So, there you have it.