Matthew Kuhnemann's action was deemed dubious by match officials after Sri Lanka Tests.
Former Australia captain Tim Paine has defended left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann’s action and compared it with that of India great Jasprit Bumrah.
Kuhnemann, who finished with 16 wickets in the two Tests against Sri Lanka, was reported for his bowling action shortly after the series concluded. While the spinner has been permitted to bowl in domestic cricket, the 28-year-old has been required to demonstrate that his actions are legitimate before competing in ICC events.
Meanwhile, Paine has pointed out that like Bumrah, who tends to hyperextend his arm, rather than bending it, Kuhnemann does the same. He further stated that being accused of throwing is not a good thing to have against your name.
The former Australian captain believes Kuhnemann would have struggled to deal with the social media spotlight after being called up for dubious bowling action.
“I think there’s a bit of flexion, not dissimilar to a Jasprit Bumrah. I think he’d be flat as a tack I’d imagine. In cricket, being accused of throwing is not a great mark to have against your name. You’re being accused in a way, of cheating.
I imagine in such a public forum, that would be very hard for him to deal with that. He’s probably walked off that day on top of the world, and by the time he’s back in the hotel room he’s at absolute rock bottom because he’s fighting, if you like, to save his career,” Paine said on SEN Radio.
Paine feels that Kuhnemann has been targeted in a token move by the officials and claimed that the Aussie spinner was an easy target for them.
“I just don’t get it. Go back through the history of cricket and we’ve had guys who have played hundreds of Test matches combined who have (much worse actions) than Matthew Kuhnemann. I feel like it’s a bit of a token ‘we’ll look like we’re policing this, even though we have never before,’ and Kuhnemann has been the unlucky one,” Paine added.
Kuhnemann will now have to undergo biomechanical testing in the next few weeks to clear his name and play in international cricket again.