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Hafeez's action found to be illegal

Mohammad Hafeez cannot bowl in international cricket until his action is reassessed and cleared © Getty Images

Recent drive against faulty actions November 2014 - Mohammad Hafeez reported, suspended from bowling in December October 2014 - Sohag Gazi suspended after being reported in August September 2014 - Sunil Narine, Mohammad Hafeez, Adnan Rasool, Suryakumar Yadav and Prenelan Subrayen reported for suspect actions in CLT20 August 2014 - Prosper Utseya reported, suspended in October August 2014 - Saeed Ajmal reported, banned in September July 2014 - Kane Williamson banned after tests found his action illegal July 2014 - Sachithra Senanayake banned, undergoes remedial work December 2013 - Shane Shillingford suspended from bowling, cleared in March 2014; Marlon Samuels prohibited from bowling quicker deliveries

Mohammad Hafeez, the Pakistan allrounder who bowls offspin, has been suspended from bowling in international cricket after he failed a test on his action conducted at an ICC accredited centre in Loughborough, England. The analysis, an ICC statement said, found the flex in his action exceeds the 15-degree limit for all deliveries.

Hafeez had first been reported while playing for Lahore Lions during the Champions League T20, but that sanction did not apply to international cricket. He was reported again after the first Test against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi in November.

He will be allowed to bowl in internationals again only once his action, post correction, is reassessed by the ICC. In the interim, he can continue to bowl in domestic cricket as per the PCB's instructions. According to ICC regulations, if a player who has been reassessed and cleared is reported a second time, within two years of the date of commencement of the first suspension, he or she will then receive a minimum suspension of one year, and can apply once more for reassessment only after sitting out a year.

Several international offspinners, including Sri Lanka's Sachithra Senanayake, New Zealand's Kane Williamson, Zimbabwe's Prosper Utseya and Bangladesh's Sohag Gazi have received suspensions for illegal actions this year. Hafeez is the second Pakistan offspinner to be suspended in the last three months, Saeed Ajmal being the other. Remodelling of Ajmal's action is well underway at the moment, with positive signs at two unofficial reassessments - his doosra remains the only ball delivered illegally, his second unofficial test in Loughborough determined, and he is hopeful of being ready in time to play the 2015 World Cup in February-March.

The immediate effect of Hafeez's suspension will be felt when Pakistan take on New Zealand in a five-match ODI series, in the UAE, from Monday. However, after he was reported in November, Hafeez had said he will not let the scrutiny on his bowling get to him too much, saying he had never viewed himself as much of bowler and would continue to focus on his batting instead. He had also said there should not be a "pick-and-choose" method to identify bowlers with suspect actions in international cricket and all bowlers should undergo testing