DHAKA: After a change to his delivery stride, Sohag Gazi is confident of his reworked bowling action and believes it might help him spin the ball more as well. He is set to travel to Chennai for an official test on January 24 as he hopes to lift his suspension from bowling in international cricket.
"I have worked on my landing foot's positioning," Gazi said. "It was a similar problem to that of (Sachithra) Senanayake but as soon as I corrected my footing, the rest was fixed automatically. I am more side-on these days, less chest-on. I can find more turn with this new action."
"To be honest, I have forgotten my previous bowling action, despite not making a big change overall. I am satisfied with what I have done, plus I have performed with this new action in the domestic competition. I have taken more than 15 wickets."
Gazi was reported for a suspect action in Bangladesh's second ODI against West Indies in August last year and was suspended from bowling in October after he was tested in Cardiff.
Gazi has been working towards a remedy with Bangladesh spin coach Ruwan Kalpage, under whose supervision he had bowled in the nets during the Zimbabwe series.
Gazi then applied what he had learned with the help of Salahuddin, a computer analyst with BCB and had been training to stay in contention for the World Cup, but he was unable to find a place in the preliminary squad nor the final 15 that was picked by the Faruque Ahmed-led selection committee.
"I have worked very hard on my action. I have bowled for more than three hours every day for a month since I started working. I was helped immensely by Salahuddin bhai during this time, and he traveled with me for my Dhaka Premier League matches to do video of my bowling. I was working harder because it is every cricketer's dream to play in the World Cup. But I couldn't make it, but I feel that whatever has happened happened for a reason."
Gazi was initially supposed to work with Mohammad Salahuddin, Bangladesh's former fielding coach who had successfully helped Abdur Razzak with his illegal bowling action in 2008. But the plan, despite having the backing of Akram Khan, BCB's cricket operations committee chairman, didn't pan out.
Instead Gazi returned to domestic cricket in Novemeber, took 17 wickets, including two five-wicket hauls, in seven Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League matches for Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club.
BDST: 1737 HRS, JAN 09, 2015
