Arjun Nair ruled out of One-Day Cup with back injury

[Nergal]

 

NEW South Wales spinner Arjun Nair is confident he has ironed out the technique that got him in trouble with cricket officials last summer but he will have to wait until the Big Bash League to test it out in game.

Nair, who was set to return to bowling duties in September’s One-Day Cup after serving a three-month suspension from the craft, has been diagnosed with a lumbar stress injury. It is hoped he will have recovered from the back injury in time to bowl for Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League, which begins in December.

He is expected to play in Sydney’s grade competition as a specialist batsman next month.

Nair was cleared to return to bowling duties in May after undergoing further testing. He was initially tested on January 4 after being reported by umpires for a suspect action in a Sydney Thunder match. During the first test that he was deemed to have bowled with a “markedly different” action to the one captured on match footage — an offence that warrants a 90-day ban under Cricket Australia’s protocol.

Shortly before his back injury was uncovered, Nair told foxsports.com.au he had worked hard over the off-season on a slightly modified action to avoid further trouble, completing four to five bowling sessions a week — three with Cricket New South Wales and two with his father.

“It’s all about trying to make this action second nature,” he said. “It’s all good doing it in the test but you’ve got to maintain that in the game in a pressure situation.

“You’ve see that others that have been reported before get reported again in the future. I have to make sure that does not happen. That’s very important. If I can perform well and keep my action and make sure it’s all good it should be fine.”

Although he insists he was not nervous heading into or during testing in January, Nair admits the presence of markers on his bowling arm did play on his mind.