South Africa supports Botha process

Johan Botha's action has been under the spotlight since the tour of Australia © Getty Images

Cricket South Africa (CSA) has issued an official statement saying it will abide by the decisions and procedures of the ICC regarding tests on the bowling action of Johan Botha, the offspinner, whose action has again come under the microscope.

Botha's action was reported in his debut Test against Australia at Sydney in January 2006 and he was suspended after tests in Perth. He was recently revaluated in England, but Shafiek Abrahams, the former South African offspinner, said the equipment was out od date. Botha will again be tested at Newlands, on Thursday, and if his action is shown to be legal, Cricket SA will request that he be tested again in Perth.

However, Brian Basson, CSA's cricket affairs general manager, said: "We want to clarify once and for all the official stance of CSA regarding ICC's testing of Johan Botha's bowling action. At the outset, we want to state categorically that we will accept and abide by any decision taken by the ICC, as well as the testing procedures in this regard.

"Johan's action was found to be illegal after he was tested in Perth after the match officials reported his action during the Test against Australia in Sydney in January. Since then, CSA arranged for him to try and rehabilitate his action in conjunction with the Sports Science Institute in Cape Town.

"He recently underwent a second ICC test in England. We have received a report stating that he has failed this test. We have sent this report to the Sports Science Institute, and are now awaiting their response.

"Once we have this, CSA will then decide whether we want to take the matter to ICC's review bowling group in terms of the ICC regulations which make provision for a review of this nature. Naturally, we are disappointed that Johan has failed a second time after all the hard work that has gone into changing his action to comply with the regulations.

"ICC does, however, have review procedures and we will decide whether to take this route once we have a report from the Sports Science Institute on the findings of the ICC's test on Johan in England".