Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja has said that every youngster is now bowling the 'doosra' in the country and has demanded cricket's law makers to save the controversial delivery as it provides a new dimension to the batsmen-dominated game.
The 'doosra', a delivery which turns the other way than the normal off-break, has come under greater scrutiny as bowlers straighten their bowling arm beyond 15 degrees, the permitted point under the International Cricket Council (ICC) rules.
The ICC has launched a crackdown recently with as many as three bowlers suspended, including top ranked one-day bowler Saeed Ajmal of Pakistan, for illegal bowling actions, The Dawn reported.
New Zealand's Kane Williamson and Sri Lanka's Sachitra Senanayake are the other two while Zimbabwe's Prosper Utseya and Bangladesh duo, Sohag Gazi and Al-Amin Hossain were also reported for suspect actions in the last three months.
Raja said that the delivery is an art, which should be saved. He said that save the doosra because it is an exciting delivery, and added that his stance is that the rules of the game have become so lop-sided and 70-30 in favour of the batsmen so bowlers need new deliveries.
Raja said that the doosra is not physically threatening, adding that it tests the skills of the batsmen so even if it needed some relaxation, like 18-20 degrees, it should be allowed.
Raja said reverse swing also came into being because bowlers needed help on dry batting pitches. He said that off-spin was confined to stopping runs, adding that leg-spinners were supposed to pick up wickets and off-spinners were confined to stopping the flow of runs.
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But, Raja said that with the doosra the art of off-spin was revived and he strongly feels it should be saved. He said that the rule makers should have to think out of the box.
The former skipper said that the crib is that suddenly one goes from 15 to 40-plus degrees and they don't know how they are conducting these biomechanical tests.
Raja said that his question is why they were allowed to bowl for so long and because of that every youngster is now bowling the doosra in Pakistan.