Tharindu Kaushal backed to get doosra cleared

Sri Lanka's chairman of selectors Kapila Wijegunawardene is confident that offspinner Tharindu Kaushal can work on his action for the doorsa and bring it inside the ICC's 15-degree limit. After being reported for a suspect action during the home series against India and tested in Chennai, Kaushal was cleared to bowl the offbreak but his doosra was banned from international cricket.

"Where Kaushal is concerned, we had a very close scrutiny of him and it was only after we were convinced that he was within the rules that we picked him to play in the side," Wijegunawardene said. "However this citation came and he was tested, after which we were notified that his doosra was exceeding the stipulated parameter of 15 degrees marginally, but his offspin was cleared with flying colours with his extension being only five degrees.

"On the doosra, 50% of the deliveries in which he was tested was within the stipulated parameter and only the balance marginally exceeded 15 degrees," Wijegunawardene said. "What we now need to understand is at which point he is able to bowl this particular delivery and support him towards staying within the rules. Not being able to bowl the doosra does impact his armoury of deliveries. However, if you closely analyse the wickets that he has taken during his short career, he has no more than three-four wickets with the doosra with a large majority of the wickets being with offspin.

"From the side of Sri Lanka Cricket, everybody is very eager and committed to support him towards getting this delivery cleared. Going forward we hope to work proactively with the ICC and it is not the first time we are facing a situation like this. I am confident that he will overcome this slight impediment."

"This boy's got a special talent where he has ultra supple wrist similar to Muralitharan. If he succeeds in bowling this delivery within the stipulated regulations it will be a huge plus factor and also good for the game."

Kaushal, 22, had been randomly tested in Canberra by the ICC at the conclusion of the 2012 Under-19 World Cup and there had been nothing amiss with his action, including the doosra. He made his debut in December 2014 and has played six Tests - taking 24 wickets at an average of 42.