South Africa’s off-spin all-rounder Prenelan Subrayen is free to bowl after independent testing in Brisbane confirmed his action is within the International Cricket Council’s 15-degree tolerance.
An ICC statement issued on Monday was brief but decisive: “The amount of elbow extension for all his deliveries was within the 15-degree level of tolerance permitted under the ICC Illegal Bowling Regulations.”
That verdict ends a short period of uncertainty for the 29-year-old, who was reported during last month’s one-day series in Australia and rested for the remainder of the tour.
Subrayen was never formally suspended, yet Cricket South Africa chose caution, omitting him from the ongoing white-ball series in England while the biomechanical assessment took place on 26 August. The tests, conducted under match-simulation conditions, covered his stock off-break, quicker ball and doosra.
This is the third time the KwaZulu-Natal player has faced scrutiny. His action was first found illegal in December 2012, leading to a CSA-run remedial programme and a return to competition six weeks later. Further reports came during the 2013 Champions League T20 and again in 2015, when he endured a four-month suspension after every delivery exceeded the limit. Another reassessment in January 2016 proved inconclusive, but he was cleared two months later and has not transgressed since – until the most recent referral.
Subrayen has been a steady presence in South Africa’s domestic game since 2011 and earned Test and ODI debuts this year, collecting his maiden one-day wicket in Hobart. Team management still see him as part of the build-up to the 2026 T20 World Cup and the 2027 50-over event, both of which will involve home fixtures.
He remains in England with the wider training squad and is expected to be available for selection once the medical team confirms his match fitness.
