Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez has been banned from bowling in international cricket for a period of one year.
This was the second time since November 2014 that his action was reported and this time he has been found guilty. He will only be able to reassess his action after the completion of this period.
Hafeez had to test his action after he was reported during the second Test match against Sri Lanka. As a result, he had to report at Sri Ramachandra University in Chennai for his action to be tested and thus he was replaced by Sohaib Maqsood in the third Test match, which Pakistan had won.
The test that was conducted on 6 July suggested that Hafeez's action violated permitted 15-degree limit. Subsequently, International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the news of banning Hafeez for a year through a media release.
The media release read: "As this report has constituted the player's second report within a two-year period, the first of which led to a suspension, he is now automatically suspended from bowling in international cricket for a 12-month period.
"Hafeez is entitled to appeal any procedural aspect of an independent assessment that has led to this automatic suspension. However, only after the expiry of this one-year period will he be entitled to approach the ICC for a reassessment of his bowling action."
Last year, when Hafeez's action was reported while Pakistan was playing against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi, his action was found to have an elbow extension up to 31 degrees. After that, he underwent reassessment, but failed to clear an unofficial test. Later in April, after repeated tests in Chennai, he was cleared to bowl by ICC.
