Prenelan Subrayen rested for final two ODIs after being reported for suspect action

Mackay, Aug 21 (IANS) South Africa off-spinner Prenelan Subrayen has been rested for the final two ODIs against Australia after being reported for a suspect bowling action following the first ODI against Australia on Tuesday in Cairns.

South Africa head coach Shukri Conrad stated on Thursday that Subrayen will remain sidelined until he completes the testing process.

"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."

This is not the first time Subrayen’s bowling action has come under scrutiny. In December 2012, Cricket South Africa (CSA) placed him in a rehabilitation program after two independent tests ruled his action illegal. Following remedial work and re-testing, he was cleared to bowl again in January 2013.

He was reported once more in September 2014 during the Champions League T20 in India, and again during a domestic T20 match in November 2015. Subsequent assessments revealed that all his deliveries exceeded the 15-degree tolerance, leading to his suspension from bowling.

After failing a re-assessment in January 2016, he eventually regained clearance to bowl in March 2016, following successful testing at CSA’s High Performance Centre.

"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."

After the ODI series opener in Cairns, the match officials’ report raised concerns regarding the legality of Subrayen’s bowling action.

The Cairns ODI against Australia marked Subrayen’s debut in the 50-over format, where he bowled his full quota of ten overs and claimed the wicket of Travis Head, who was stumped while advancing down the pitch.

Earlier this year, the 31-year-old off-spinner made his Test debut against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo, where he impressed by taking four wickets in the first innings.

The bowler will undergo an Independent Assessment of his bowling action at an ICC Accredited Testing facility.

South Africa are already without their ace pacer Kagiso Rabada who was ruled out of the three-match series due to injury.

After losing a closely fought T20I series 1-2, the Proteas have taken the lead against the hosts in the ODI series with a confident win, with two matches to be played at Mackay on August 22 and 24 respectively.

--IANS

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