Remember the T20 hero, who slaughtered balls to all parts of the park and bowled toe-crushers at will. Well, he got banned because he had allegedly broken the ICC guidelines and was throwing the ball in an unconventional manner. But relief finally bloomed in the Samuels household when ICC cleared him following a 12-month ban.
Now, he can resume bowling and make up for the lost ground. Such a talented player gets pulled up for something that is not true is bad for the game. The fiery West Indian has been unable to bowl part-time off-breaks since being reported for the second time for a suspected illegal action in the Galle Test against Sri Lanka in October 2015.
He has to his kitty 41 scalps in 71 Tests and 104 in 238 limited-overs internationals. That shows his effectiveness to take wickets at a crucial juncture.
Now, the golden-armed Windies boy will be able to bowl and represent his country in all the three formats.
Samuels courted controversy last year after helping West Indies to a thrilling World T20 final victory over England before delivering a spray to allrounder Ben Stokes.
Samuels was fined 30 per cent of his match fee for his conduct during the match but continued to throw shots at Stokes after play.
“Well he doesn’t learn,” Samuels said of Stokes, whom Carlos Brathwaite hit four consecutive sixes in the last over to seal a stunning win in the tournament decider.
Adding further, he said: “Because they keep telling him, whenever he plays against me (they say) ‘don’t speak to me, because I’m going to perform’.”
