Wilson said the decision would not have hinged solely on what umpires saw on the field.
“Effectively it has to be based on what you’ve seen live, but that would be confirmed by footage that you would subsequently look at,” he said.
Former Test umpire Paul Wilson, left, with Paul Reiffel.Credit: Getty Images
“You’ve got the TV umpire there with all the camera angles, so what would probably happen is that the on-field umpires might have flagged a couple of deliveries they’ve seen, and then – quite rightfully, actually – they would watch replays.
“If that confirms what they’ve seen live, then the next step is to file a report.”
Wilson declined to comment on Kuhnemann’s action, other than to say: “It’s been well documented that he’s played a lot of cricket and never had any problems.”
How will Kuhnemann’s action be tested?
The testing procedure can potentially take place at the National Cricket Centre in Brisbane, although the ICC’s preference is that it is conducted overseas.
When Sydney Thunder spinner Chris Green was reported for a suspect action in 2020, the biomechanical testing lasted for several hours and involved him bowling about 30 balls, surrounded by 18 cameras.
Bowlers have markers attached to their shoulder, upper arm, forearm, hand and on the ball, and infrared beams of light bounce off the markers. This data is fed into a computer-software package that allows experts to assess the bowling action.
An action is considered illegal if there is more than a 15-degree straightening of the elbow joint from upper-arm horizontal to ball release.
Green and South African spinner Johan Botha, who spent a large portion of his career playing in Australia’s Big Bash League and Sheffield Shield competitions, were both eventually cleared by the ICC-appointed experts to resume bowling.
Johan Botha underwent biomechanical testing during his career after being reported for a suspect action.Credit: AAP
But Botha feels the whole episode has left a stain on his reputation.
“It is a long process and unfortunately either way if you get cleared or not, it will always be there,” Botha said in an interview with SEN radio on Thursday.
“Guys think it’s a one-off and you get rid of it. That is not how it is. It is a bit of a process. For now he will have to bowl at a similar speed and revolutions as he did in the Tests. Nothing gets changed now.
Loading
“Now he needs to try and prove himself not guilty and from there on if it is a ball or so over 15 degrees, he will obviously have some work to do, then a long process starts.
“It never goes away because there is always someone in the crowd, someone in the opposition, or a match referee who wants to have a say or wants to feel a part of it.”
Botha was not surprised that Kuhnemann had been reported after dominating the series in Sri Lanka.
“It is never the guy who gets 0-100,” he said. “It is the guys who get wickets and affect games. They are the ones under scrutiny.”
CA said in a statement on Wednesday that it would “support Matt through the process of clearing this matter” and would “liaise closely with the ICC and independent experts in line with ICC regulations”.
The media release noted that Kuhnemann’s action had never previously been questioned in his eight years playing professionally.
