West Indies’ Samuels banned from bowling for 12 months

(Reuters) – West Indies batsman Marlon Samuels has been banned from bowling for 12 months by the International Cricket Council after undergoing testing on his action.

It is the second ban for the 34-year-old, whose off-spin bowling is only used on a part-time basis by West Indies.

He was reported for an illegal action following the first test defeat against Sri Lanka in October and had testing at the ICC accredited testing centre in Brisbane earlier this month.

“The assessment revealed that Samuels’ elbow extension exceeded 15 degrees while bowling and, thus, he employed an illegal bowling action,” the world governing body said in a statement.

“As this report constitutes the player’s second suspension within a two-year period, he is now automatically suspended from bowling in international cricket for a 12-month period.”

Samuels has already served a near four-year bowling ban from 2008 over concerns with his action but was allowed to resume in 2011 after remedial work.

He was reported again following a test in India in 2013 and subsequently banned from bowling his quicker deliveries but had been allowed to continue with his standard off-break.

He will not be allowed to apply to have his action re-assessed until the ban ends, the ICC added.

(Reporting by Greg Stutchbury in Wellington; Editing by Ken Ferris)