Saeed Ajmal claims ICC has compensated him

Saeed Ajmal's comments appeared to suggest that he has been
 allowed 23.5 degrees of flexion by the ICC while the legal limit is
15 degrees.

Saeed Ajmal, Man of the Series as Pakistan claiming 24 wickets in the series at an average of just 14.7 during 3-0 whitewash against England, has sparked confusion over his bowling action by claiming that the ICC has allowed him extra leniency to exceed the limit currently permitted by the ICC. 

In the interview with the BBC, Ajmal volunteered the belief that the ICC had allowed him 23.5 degrees to compensate for an accident in which he injured his arm. The ICC, however, were quick to reject the suggestion.

Ajmal said: "Someone is telling me my action is bad because the ICC allowed me as a bowler 23.5 degrees, because my arm is not good. A few years ago I had an accident. Otherwise, no problem, the action was cleared by ICC."

Andy Flower, the England coach, expressed his surprise after being told of Ajmal's remarks. "If that's the degree, then there's a problem," Flower said. "That's ridiculous.

An ICC spokesman denied that was the case. "There is no dispensation for anyone," he said. "It is worth remembering that his first language is not English and this may have been a slip of the tongue."

It later emerged that this could stem from Ajmal having a natural bend in his arm similar to Muttiah Muralitharan. David Richardson, the ICC's general manager of cricket, confirmed that Ajmal's arm is not naturally straight and that Ajmal's action does not fall outside the 15-degree tolerance limit.

He also explained that what matters is 'elbow extension' not 'elbow carry angle' and Ajmal is within the limits of 'elbow extension'.

"There is a big difference between the 'elbow carry angle' (elbow abduction) and the degree of elbow extension," he said. "There is nothing preventing a bowler bowling with a bent arm, provided he does not straighten it beyond the permitted degrees of tolerance."

The PCB said: "Previous tests conducted on the action of Saeed Ajmal show that the degree of elbow extension is well within ICC's tolerance levels."