Australia spinner Matthew Kuhnemann has been reported for
a suspected illegal bowling action.
The 28-year-old was Australia's leading wicket-taker in
their 2-0 Test series win in Sri Lanka but was reported
following the second Test in Galle.
Kuhnemann will now have his action assessed to determine its
legality and, if deemed illegal, the left-armer would be suspended from bowling
until his action has been modified and passed a further assessment.
"The Australian team was notified of the match
officials' referral following the second Test against Sri Lanka in Galle and
will support Matt through the process of clearing this matter," Cricket
Australia said in a statement.
"This is the first time in eight years of professional
cricket that his action been questioned.
"Cricket Australia will liaise closely with the ICC
(International Cricket Council) and independent experts in line with ICC
regulations."
The ICC says in its rules and regulations, external that
an illegal bowling action is "where a player is throwing rather than
bowling the ball".
This is defined by the ICC as being "where the player's
elbow extends by an amount of more than 15 degrees between their arm reaching
the horizontal and the ball being released".
Kuhnemann is free to continue bowling in domestic cricket
for Tasmania but is not permitted to bowl at international level until his
action is cleared.
