Matthew Kuhnemann is awaiting results from intensive tests assessing his bowling action, conducted in Brisbane following concerns raised during Australia’s recent Test series in Sri Lanka. After a session monitored by ICC experts with high-speed cameras and motion analysis, the assessment will determine if Kuhnemann’s elbow extension exceeds the permissible limit of 15 degrees. A ruling from the ICC is expected next week; if found in violation, he could be suspended from bowling until corrections are made. Australia’s players, including captain Steven Smith, are supportive and confident in Kuhnemann’s ability to clear the assessment.
Just a week after being reported during Australia’s 2-0 Test series victory in Sri Lanka, Kuhnemann has now finished tests on his bowling action, which has been flagged as concerning.
“Matthew has undergone the evaluation at the National Cricket Centre in Brisbane,” declared CA in a statement on Wednesday. “The ICC will reach a conclusion in due course. Neither Cricket Australia nor Matthew will issue any public comments at this moment.”
The 28-year-old experienced a testing session lasting over an hour in Brisbane, where he was instructed to bowl at comparable speeds and revolutions to those he displayed in Galle.
Experts from the International Cricket Council (ICC) observed the process, with Kuhnemann equipped with markers on his body and monitored by multiple high-speed cameras along with a 3D motion analysis system.
The results from these evaluations will be reviewed over the coming week, after which a decision on Kuhnemann’s bowling action will be announced by the ICC. If it’s determined that he extends his elbow beyond 15 degrees on his primary delivery, Kuhnemann will be prohibited from bowling until he can demonstrate that the issue has been addressed.
Otherwise, the spinner will be allowed to continue his bowling career with Tasmania in the Sheffield Shield and be eligible for Australia’s tour of the West Indies in June.
The ICC holds the authority to decide if a bowler’s action is only an issue with specific types of deliveries, meaning that a player could continue bowling in matches without those variations until they receive clearance.
The players representing Australia are quite accustomed to biomechanical assessments, with high-performance teams frequently utilizing the same facilities to refine and enhance the bowling mechanics of fast bowlers.
Kuhnemann also played through discomfort to emerge as the leading wicket-taker in the Warne-Muralidaran Trophy, claiming 16 wickets at an average of 17.18 during the two Test matches in Sri Lanka. It was following the second Test that he learned his bowling action had been flagged, marking the first such incident in his eight years of professional play.
His Australian teammates have rallied around Kuhnemann in support of his efforts to clear his action, with stand-in captain Steven Smith expressing confidence in a positive outcome.
“I was a bit surprised to hear this,” Smith, who led the team against Sri Lanka, mentioned last Friday. “He’s been playing professional cricket for eight years and nothing has been flagged until now.”
“I’m thinking about him during this time, as he must undergo the process. We are optimistic he will pass. He will manage this back home, and we wish him all the best.”