NEW DELHI, Sunday (AFP) - Test cricket's highest wicket-taker Kapil Dev Sunday hit out at the game's administrators for banning Indian spinner Rajesh Chauhan because of a suspect bowling action.
Off-spinner Chauhan was on Saturday dropped for a three-nation tournament in Bangladesh later this week on the advice of the International Cricket Council (ICC), the game's governing body.
"It is unfair to drop Chauhan simply because someone suspects his action," said the former Indian all-rounder who took a record 434 Test wickets.
"The umpire is the final judge and Chauhan has never been called for throwing during his five-year international career," Kapil said. "Do the ICC officials know better than the umpires?
"The ICC has gone too far in ordering the Indian Board to keep Chauhan out without any proof. I don't think the ICC's advise is binding on the board."
The ICC's technical committee cleared Sri Lankans Muttiah Murlitharan and Sajeewa De Silva after watching video clips of their actions, but wanted Chauhan and Sri Lankan off-spinner Kumara Dharmasena to be penalised.
Kapil, himself a member of the techical committee, confused matters further by stating he was not asked to judge the actions of the four bowlers.
"I was not informed about this and I don't know if the committee met to review Simpson's report," an angry Kapil said.
"And who is Simpson to judge a bowler? Does he, as an ICC observer, know more about the game than the umpires out in the middle ? There is something sinister going on."
Another former Indian cricketer Naren Tamhane suggested Simpson's report was a ploy to keep India's best spinner out for the upcoming home series against Australia.
"Perhaps Simpson was swayed by the fact that Chauhan could be a danger to his country's prospects as the Australians are suspect against off-spin," Tamhane said.
This is not the first time Chauhan -- or Murlitharan -- have been hauled up for their bowling actions.
Chauhan was kept out of the Indian team for two years from 1995 to 1997 on the advice of the ICC, but was recalled late last year after his action was studied by Kapil and another Indian great Sunil Gavaskar at the request of the Indian board.
Murlitharan was called for throwing by Australian umpire Darrell Hair during Sri Lanka's tour down under in 1995, but was subsequently reinstated when a computer study found nothing wrong with his action.
Said Tamhane: "The Indian Board should support Chauhan like the Sri Lankans did in Murlitharan's case. According to me, if Murli is allowed to play than any off-spinner can pass muster.
"The board should stand up against the ICC instead of putting it's tail meekly between it's legs."
ICC president Jagmohan Dalmiya, a former Indian board secretary, clarified the advice of the technical committee was binding on the respective boards.
"The ICC wants to help a bowler correct his action, not to penalise him," he said. "The ICC will depute a specialist at it's own cost to help the bowler.
"But the respective boards (in this case India and Sri Lanka ) must approach us to sort the matter out quickly."