Saeed Ajmal Still Faces Difficult Road Ahead Despite Extensive Remedial Work
Since his introduction to international cricket, Saeed Ajmal has always been a buoyant character, full of energy, full of confidence and full of smiles.
Aside from his rapid capture of wickets—which has perhaps been his defining trait—his exuberance has always felt as though it's belonged to a 21-year-old, rather than a man who's now edging closer to 40.
That effervescence was evident over the weekend, after the suspended Pakistan spinner underwent official ICC retesting of his bowling action in Chennai, following a long period of remedial work.
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"I felt those who tested me were happy with my action," Ajmal confidently told The Hindu. "I am hopeful [to be cleared to return to bowling in international cricket], but ultimately the decision rests with them [the ICC]."
The 37-year-old has been sidelined since September, when each and every one of his variations were deemed illegal due to the extension of his elbow well beyond the 15-degree limit. But as Ajmal readies himself for a possible return to the world stage, it's the sheer magnitude of the changes in his action that will ensure the road ahead will be a difficult one.
According to ESPN Cricinfo, initial testing last year revealed Ajmal's elbow extension was averaged at 42 degrees. Forty-two. To bowl within the game's rules, Ajmal's remodelling work has to be extreme. Basically a complete transformation.
To hit the 15-degree mark, the Pakistani will need to reduce the flexion in his elbow by almost 65 percent. It's an extraordinary number, given how often we talk of one-and-two percent differences changing outcomes in sport.
For Ajmal, this is drastic stuff.
"Previously my arm used to come from behind my body," the off-spinner said, discussing the changes in his action. "Now it is coming from the side. My front foot used to be in the air at delivery stride. Now it is on the ground."
"Earlier, I looked upwards while releasing the ball. Now I look at the batsman with a straight head. My action was chest-on before. Now it is more side-on and I am pivoting a little."
Such changes will undoubtedly create a vastly changed bowler, one who will differ significantly from the player who raced to 446 international wickets between 2008 and 2014. But such changes will also need considerable time—the one thing he doesn't have much of.
At 37, Ajmal is entering his final years in the game, even though his international journey has been relatively short since his debut at 30. Shane Warne didn't make it past 37. Muttiah Muralitharan, in the Test arena, called it quits at 38. So did Anil Kumble.
Some might think the mileage on his body is low, but he made his first-class debut almost 20 years ago in 1996-97 and his List A debut a year earlier.
Retirement isn't far away, and it's something that appears to have entered Ajmal's thoughts during his bid to return from his suspension.
"I want to be a front-line bowler, the No.1 bowler in the side," he said when speaking about his capacity to maintain his array of variations. "I don't want to make up numbers. I would rather retire than do that."
That trademark confidence has likely played a significant role in his belief during this period of extensive remedial work. But it can't be ignored that he's looking to return to the cauldron that is international cricket with a vastly revamped action while approaching an age at which the finest in his craft have previously stepped away.
Can he maintain his variations? Will they prove as effective and as hard to detect? Will he have the same buoyancy and conviction when his new action is faced with world-class batsmen?
Ajmal believes he will, noting, "I have bowled around 12,000 deliveries with my new action in the last four months."
But the changes he's made—and is still making—are profound, and the time to implement them is running out.
He may well be closing in on a return, but the road ahead will undoubtedly be difficult.
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