Botha cleared to continue bowling

[Sachinism]

Johan Botha, the South African vice-captain, has been given the green light to play in the World Twenty20 on condition he does not bowl his controversial doosra. Botha was informed on Monday by South Africa's bowling coach, Vinnie Barnes, that tests had cleared his stock off-break, although his doosra remained under a cloud. "I have been through the same thing before, where after a while I was retested and then allowed to carry on with it," Botha told Cricinfo. "But for me it is just a great relief to be cleared at last and able to play for South Africa at the World Twenty20. "With this kind of situation, you're 90% sure that you'll get through, but there is always that little bit of doubt until you finally receive the answer. I have not yet heard about the final results and the measurements, but I know they have said that I am not allowed to bowl the doosra at the moment." Botha was reported by umpires Rudi Koertzen, Brian Jerling and Asoka de Silva after the fourth one-day international between South Africa and Australia for a suspect quicker ball and doosra. The spinner was subsequently tested at the University of Western Australia by professor Bruce Elliott; the same biomechanist who examined Botha's action when he was last cited in 2006. Elliott has since submitted his report on Botha to the ICC, but would not reveal whether any of the bowler's deliveries tested in excess of the legal 15 degree elbow flexion limit. Botha, though, confirmed he had received the green light to play in the World Twenty20 - albeit without his doosra, suggesting the delivery was either borderline or above 15 degrees. Though happy to abide by the decision preventing him from bowling the doosra, Botha said he was still unsure as to the circumstances in which he was reported in the first place. He insisted he did not bowl the doosra in the Port Elizabeth match against Australia, and only once in the previous ODI in Cape Town. "It has worked out like this now, so I have to carry on with what I have," he said. "That's fine. I haven't really used it much in the last year. I didn't bowl it at all in the game they called me." Elliott, meanwhile, confirmed he would test the action of Pakistan spinner, Saeed Ajmal, at the UWA facilities on Thursday. Ajmal was reported by officials Asad Rauf, Billy Bowden, Zameer Haider and Nadeem Ghauri after the second ODI against Australia in Dubai last month. Like Botha, Ajmal also possesses a doosra in his bowling arsenal. "I expect the test will be similar to that of Botha," Elliott said. "They have similar issues."' http://content.cricinfo.com/southafrica/content/current/story/404014.html

[cowboysfan]

he got a lot of aussies out with his doosra-i wonder how effective he will be now.