Australia left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann has been reported for a suspect bowling action during the team’s 2-0 whitewash series win over Sri Lanka in Galle last week.
Playing only his second Test series after debuting during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in India in 2023, the 28-year-old Kuhnemann topped the bowling charts in Sri Lanka with 16 wickets at 17.18. Kuhnemann became Australia’s most prolific left-arm tweaker in Sri Lanka, joining the squad after recovering from a dislocated and fractured thumb during the Big Bash League earlier in January.
However, according to Cricket Australia, Kuhnemann’s action was questioned during his impressive outings, which will now force him to undergo a mandatory bowling action analysis test within three weeks. Should he fail to clear the test, Kuhnemann will be barred from bowling in international cricket until he is cleared with a modified action.
The incident marks the first time the Tasmanian bowler’s action has come under scrutiny since his professional debut in 2017.
Kuhnemann’s testing is likely to take place at Brisbane’s Centre of Excellence where a bio-mechanist will test the action and submit the findings to the International Cricket Council (ICC).
“The Australian team was notified of the match officials’ referral following the second Test against Sri Lanka in Galle and will support Matt through the process of clearing this matter,” a Cricket Australia spokesperson said.
“Matt has played 124 professional matches since his debut in 2017, including five Test matches and four One-Day Internationals. He has played 55 Big Bash League games since 2018.
