Cam Green should leave bowling actions to umpires. Australia’s T20 team has bigger problems |
Cameron Green’s petulant gesture about the unusual bowling action of Pakistan’s Usman Tariq was a worrying sign for Australia at the start of a Twenty20 World Cup campaign.
Not because of Tariq’s action, which has been cleared twice by testing procedures sanctioned by the International Cricket Council, but because Green was clearly looking elsewhere for excuses as to why he and Australia had been battered twice in as many games on foreign soil.
Pakistan bowler Usman Tariq’s homespun bowling action has been questioned before but cleared.Credit: AP
After being dismissed for 35 during Australia’s failed run chase on Saturday, Green unflatteringly mimicked Tariq’s side-arm, slinging delivery method.
To question a bowler’s action so publicly is poor form when there is an established process for dealing with such matters, whereby umpires report the bowler and a testing protocol is followed.
Tariq left little doubt as to what he thought of Green’s complaint after his team’s 90-run win, posting an Instagram story on Sunday that strongly suggested the tall all-rounder had spat the dummy after being dismissed.
What’s more, Green need only have looked around his own dressing room to know how tough it can be for a teammate to have aspersions cast on their legitimacy as a bowler.
This time last year, the left-arm spinner Matt Kuhnemann was cited by umpires after rumours swirled........