Former Australian Leg Spinner Bryce McGain says labelling Matt Kuhnemann a ‘chucker’ before undergoing testing for a suspected illegal bowling action leaves a ‘sour taste’ in his mouth.
Kuhnemann’s action was reported last week following the second test against Sri Lanka and will undergo ICC testing this fortnight to have his action evaluated.
Testing will commence this week, despite Kuhnemann being ruled out of Tasmania’s Sheffield Shield game against South Australia due to a thumb issue on his non-bowling arm.
The issue pre-dated the Sri Lanka test series and is related to the thumb he broke during the Big Bash.
These reports emerged following an outstanding performance in Galle where he took 16 wickets at an average of 17.18 across the two matches.
Speaking on SportFM’sSports Breakfast, McGain says he feels uneasy with the reporting of the issue, given the ‘chucker’ label’s strong ‘connotations’.
“That’s absolutely not where Matt Kuhnemann is at. I’m certain he’s not there looking to take an advantage or do anything like that,” he said.
“He might be doing something in his action that might be getting close to where it is or beyond it. The bio mechanist will analyse that, and we’ll get a report of that.
“I hope it’s communicated really clearly. We shouldn’t be putting a black mark against him until he gets this opportunity. If he needs tweaking his action, then let him do that.
“I really have felt a bit uneasy, a lot of the reporting of it and maybe undermining how much work he’s putting to it… but also that little black mark that goes next to it, it leaves a real sour taste in my mouth to hear people referring to him as a chucker.”
“It’s certainly not that. Lots of players have been through this, some you’re unaware of. Some of them are running around in first class cricket and have been for many, many years and they fix up what they need to and then they move on. This is quite a public one.”
Biomechanical testing will take place at the National Cricket Centre in Brisbane under the supervision of ICC officials before a decision on his action is made in the following weeks.
As part of the testing, Kuhnemann will need to bowl at a similar pace with similar revolutions to what he did in Sri Lanka and prove his arm does not straighten and exceed the 15-degree limit.
ICC experts will use cameras to film his action and place markers on his bowling arm to help experts judge his action as lawful or unlawful.
McGain believes it is a good opportunity for Kuhnemann to get tested and learn more about his action.
“If there is a query around the world about it, get tested and clear your name, or get tested and make some adjustments,” he said.
“I know over the journey, even as a spin bowler myself, there are little quirks that went into my action, not necessarily in terms of being called that way, but sometimes I close off a little bit more and not use my front arm in the most efficient way.
“Until something happens that goes, ‘you just need to be on top of that’ – then you can get back to finding the most efficient way to do it. I think it’s an opportunity rather than a negative.”
IMAGE: cricket.com.au