Chuck out chuckers, slam Test door on Bangladesh, Zimbabwe: Crowe

London, Jul 12 (UNI) Former New Zealand skipper Martin Crowe lambasted the ICC for allegedly being lenient on chuckers and called for throwing out of Zimbabwe and Bangladesh from Test cricket.

Delivering the annual Cowdrey Lecture at Lord's here last night, the Kiwi batting great criticised the 15 degree flexion rule and at the same time, demanded Bangladesh and Zimbabwe should be stripped off their Test status.

Crowe said umpires should have the right to call a bowler with suspect actions.

''If by the naked eye a bowler is clearly chucking, he should be chucked out. To straighten your arm from a bent position is a huge advantage,'' he said.

Taking a dig at Sri Lanka offie Muttiah Muralitharan without naming him, Crowe said. ''Having been pinned in the head by chuckers over 15 years, having been bowled first ball in a Test by a certain Sri Lankan bowler, I've had more than enough of this aspect of the game.

''This is cricket's Achilles' heel. If the umpire believes he has seen a throw then he should be allowed to no ball it or at least report it. The law was fine 10 years ago. Now it simply gives room for the laws to be bent,'' Crowe felt.

The former Kiwi captain also had no doubt that Bangladesh and Zimbabwe were continuing in Test cricket owing to nothing but political reasons.

''Test cricket, without a question, is being undermined by continuing to allow Bangladesh and Zimbabwe to play Test cricket.

Bangladesh have played a staggering 44 Tests for one win over just six years - they simply aren't going to make it.

On Zimbabwe, Crowe felt they were simply ''not up to international standard'' - even if one ignored the question of whether ''a country where cricket is so inter-related with its shocking politics should be dignified with international cricket status.'' ''Let's face it that Bangladesh and Zimbabwe are on the international stage for political reasons - what hypocrisy from the ICC that argues that politics should not come into the sport,'' Crowe said.

He also referred to the ''too many meaningless matches'' resulting in players' burn-out.

''The rest periods between tours and tournaments are becoming less and less; the injuries more and more,'' he observed.

To tackle the situation, he called for a restructuring of the World Cup, at least ten per cent reduction in the amount of international cricket and a ''triple treble'' concept for tours - involving three Tests, three one-day internationals and three Twenty20 matches.

The new concept would, ''cater for the purist, the fan and the fringe supporters of cricket. Three types of supporter being satisfied and three different types of intensity for the player,'' he reasoned.

Crowe also demanded a fresh approach to the Hawk Eye technology.

''This particular use of 'Hawkeye' worries me. I question whether it should be predicting what the path of the ball might be. I stress the word 'might', as it is only hypothetical after all; a scientific guess. I am also uncomfortable with predicting a path that goes against what the umpire had just decided. I just don't believe it is in the spirit of cricket,'' he said.

Crowe, however, felt the technology could prove handy in deciding LBW decisions and he asked ICC to own Hawk Eye and provide it ''to all host broadcasters around the world, so the use of it by umpires is consistent everywhere.'' UNI XC AY DH ht1630