Botha's doosra ruled illegal by ICC

South Africa news

Bulletin by Shwe Wai

	Johan Botha has been cleared to bowl at the World Twenty20 © Getty Images

Johan Botha, the South African vice-captain, has been given the green light to play in the World Twenty20 despite his doosra testing almost twice the legal elbow flexion limit. Botha's doosra was measured at 26.7 degrees by the ICC's appointed biomechanist, Bruce Elliott, and will be banned until the bowler can prove he can deliver "the other one" at a flexion limit of less than 15 degrees.

But the offspinner will be able to continue bowling at domestic and internatioinal level, after his offbreak (12.2 degrees) and arm-ball (11.1 degrees) measured within the ICC's parameters.

"I have been through the same thing before, where after a while (the doosra) 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 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, and recommended the bowler "review his own ... action on a regular basis to ensure his elbow flexion levels are minimized and kept within legal limits." Botha can submit himself for a re-assessment of the doosra after he has modified it in accordance with ICC guidelines.

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.