Matt Kuhnemann ‘never doubted' his bowling action before being cleared by ICC
Matt Kuhnemann has declared he never doubted the legality of his own action, after Australia's new spin sensation was cleared to continue bowling by the ICC.
Kuhnemann's two-and-a-half-week ordeal was finally put to bed on Wednesday night, when the ICC informed him he had passed tests on his action. The news came after Kuhnemann had been reported for having a suspect action during Australia's triumph in Sri Lanka, where he was the leading wicket-taker.
In a statement, the 28-year-old admitted on Thursday he had been left disappointed by being reported after the high point of his cricket career. But he insists he never believed there was a problem with his action, after having played 135 professional games since his debut for a Cricket Australia XI in 2017.
'It was a disappointing way to finish what was such a successful Test series for Australia,' Kuhnemann said in the statement. 'I've never doubted my bowling action throughout my career and I'm always looking to improve the art of spin bowling in different conditions.
'I thought the process itself was quite fair and I appreciated the professional manner in which testing was explained to me and then conducted.'
Kuhnemann also thanked Cricket Australia officials, who had publicly pointed to the fact his action had never previously been reported. Stand-in captain Steve Smith was among those to have expressed surprise at Kuhnemann being referred to the ICC, after leaning on him heavily in Sri Lanka.
'I am very grateful for all the support I have received from my family, friends and teammates, and to Cricket Australia who stood by me throughout the process,' Kuhnemann said. 'I'm looking forward to finishing the (Sheffield Shield) season with Tasmania once my thumb has fully healed and then getting into my off-field preparations.'
Kuhnemann could return to cricket as soon as next Thursday for Tasmania against his former state Queensland, if his non-bowling thumb has healed well. The left-arm finger-spinner fractured his right thumb playing in the Big Bash League last month, but played through the pain to take 16 wickets at an average of 17.18 in the two Tests in Galle.
Beyond this Shield season, Kuhnemann is likely to form part of Australia's squad for a three-Test series in the Caribbean, where wickets are often conducive to playing multiple spinners. The Queensland-born talent is also likely to form a key part of Australia's bid to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in India in 2027, bowling in tandem with Nathan Lyon.
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Australia's coaches like the fact Kuhnemann offers a point of difference to Lyon, spinning the ball the other way as a left-armer. He also took career-best figures of five for 16 on Australia's last tour of India, helping spin the side to a victory in Indore in just his second Test.
Had ICC tests in Brisbane on 15 February deemed that Kuhnemann extended his elbow by more than 15 degrees, he would have been banned from bowling until he could prove he had remedied the situation. That would have presented a significant challenge to Kuhnemann after spending his whole career bowling with his current action, and posed a challenge to remain as effective.
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