Pakistan all-rounder Shoaib Malik is unlikely to bowl in the forthcoming tour of India, Pakistan Cricket Board officials said on Tuesday.
"We have sent Shoaib Malik's footages and medical reports to the International Cricket Council for analysis. But frankly speaking, we are hoping against hope that he will be available for us as a spinner in India," PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan said.
Malik was named in the 16-man Pakistan team for this month's tour of India. But he was identified as one of the five middle-order batsmen in the team sheet.
Shaharyar reiterated that the tests have shown that Malik was involved in a road accident two years back and as a result he had lost control of tendon in his bowling arm which is causing the problem.
"We have asked the ICC to permit him to bowl again on medical grounds, but I don't think he will get the reprieve," Shaharyar said.
Malik has taken just eight wickets in eight Tests but in 93 one-dayers, he has 80 wickets. Most importantly, his inclusion in the team provides Pakistan the luxury of six bowling options.
According to a report prepared by Professor Bruce Elliott from the University of Western Australia: "Malik's both the off-break and doosra deliveries were characterized by elbow extension values (20.8 degrees and 33.4 degrees) above the current and proposed levels of acceptability, as defined by the ICC."
The new ICC rule, which applies from 1 March, allows spinners to bend their elbows by up to 15 degrees -- previously they were permitted only five degrees.
Malik was reported by umpires Simon Taufel and Aleem Dar for a suspect bowling action after a one-day game against Sri Lanka in October last year.