Future of Saeed Ajmal, Sqlain is confident of his return to International Cricket

Saqlain Mushtaq, the former Pakistan offspinner, has said Saeed Ajmal has a 'realistic possibility' of returning to international cricket. The PCB signed a one-month contract with Saqlain, ending on November 24, to work with Ajmal in an effort to correct his action, which was deemed illegal by the ICC. The one-month term, according to Saqlain, was 'ample enough' time to work on the technical aspects of Ajmal's action.

Over the last 22 days, Saqlain has been working on extensively to get Ajmal to reduce the straightening of his arm to within the 15-degree limit allowed by the ICC. The PCB intends to send Ajmal to England to undergo an unofficial independent assessment at its own expense before applying to the ICC for an official retesting.

Ajmal has had chronic issues with his wrist, shoulder, hand and elbow following a road accident in 2004. He underwent a detailed medical assessment on Monday at the Shaukat Khanum hospital in Lahore and the MRI reports are awaited.

Saqlain said his work with Ajmal so far had mostly been confined to his offbreak, and that the next step would be to work on his doosra.

"We have done most of the work so far on conventional offspin, but we are now focusing on his strength as well. So we are working on the overall package, including his doosra."

Saqlain, 37, was perhaps the first offspinner to master the doosra, a delivery that spins away from the batsman even though it is delivered with a similar action to the offbreak. The variation spread around the world even after he retired from international cricket, and a few bowlers have mastered it in the last 15 years even though the delivery remains shrouded in controversy, with critics contending it cannot be bowled without straightening the elbow beyond 15 degrees.

Courtesy: ESPN Cricinfo