Matt Kuhnemann ‘never doubted’ his bowling action as spinner looks to the future

“I am very grateful for all the support I have received from my family, friends and team-mates, and to Cricket Australia who stood by me throughout the process,” he said in a statement issued through Cricket Australia. “It was a disappointing way to finish what was such a successful Test series for Australia. I’ve never doubted my bowling action throughout my career and I’m always looking to improve the art of spin bowling in different conditions.

“I thought the process itself was quite fair and I appreciated the professional manner in which testing was explained to me and then conducted.”

Kuhnemann, who had never previously had his action questioned in a career dating back to 2017, could have continued to play domestic cricket while the testing process took place but sat out the previous round of the Sheffield Shield to manage the thumb injury he bowled with through the Sri Lanka series. But he suggested he could return before the end of the season with two rounds of the Shield remaining.

“I’m looking forward to finishing the season with Tasmania once my thumb has fully healed and then getting into my off-field preparations,” he said.

Kuhnemann is a likely inclusion for the three-match Test series in the West Indies in June-July where conditions at some of the venues may be conducive to two spinners, and he shapes as a key figure for Australia’s next subcontinent Test series, against India in early 2027.

“We are pleased for Matt that this matter is now resolved,” Ben Oliver, CA executive general manager national teams, said. “It has been a challenging period for Matt, however he has carried himself exceptionally well.

“He has had the full support of Australian cricket and he can now move forward to the next phase of his international career with great confidence.”

During the series in Sri Lanka, Kuhnemann was termed Australia’s best bowler by Nathan Lyon, while stand-in captain Steven Smith had voiced his surprise at Kuhnemann having been reported.

India spinner R Ashwin has previously spoken about how Kuhnemann’s wrist action when he delivers can create an optical illusion about the action.

“An interesting feature of his action is his loading,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel during Kuhnemann’s debut Test series against India in 2023. “For Kuhnemann, his wrist breaks during his loading. So sometimes it will look like there is an elbow extension. There is nothing like that in his action. But there is wrist involvement, for sure.”