Matt Kuhnemann to sit out Tasmania’s Sheffield Shield clash due to suspect action testing

The saga of Australian spinner Matt Kuhnemann’s suspect bowling action has taken a turn, with the under-fire star ruled unavailable for the upcoming Sheffield Shield round.

Matt Kuhnemann won’t play in Tasmania’s upcoming Sheffield Shield match, paving the way for the left-arm spinner to have his bowling action tested this week.

The Tigers face South Australia in Adelaide beginning on Tuesday, and Kuhnemann remained eligible to play in the match despite being reported for a suspect bowling following Australia’s 2-0 Test series win in Sri Lanka.

However Kuhnemann, who took 16 wickets in Sri Lanka, is still recovering from the fractured right thumb suffered in the Big Bash League that had threatened to rule him out of the tour.

While he was cleared fit to play in the Tests, it’s understood that his thumb injury remains too much of an issue to be risked in domestic cricket.

That will allow Kuhnemann to receive independent testing this week, likely at the national cricket centre in Brisbane.

Matt Kuhnemann will sit out Tasmania’s clash with South Australia. Picture: Getty

The results of that testing will determine whether the 28-year-old requires any remedial action or is allowed to resume his international career, something of a short-term moot point given his next potential match for Australia wouldn’t be until the Test tour of the West Indies in the middle of the year where Australia has often looked at playing two specialist spinners.

Former Australian captain Tim Paine defended Kuhnemann against the accusations that he was a chucker.

“I think there’s a bit of flexion, not dissimilar to a Jasprit Bumrah,” Paine said on SEN.

“I think he’d be flat as a tack I’d imagine. In cricket, being accused of throwing is not a great mark to have against your name. You’re being accused in a way, of cheating.

“I imagine in such a public forum, that would be very hard for him to deal with that. He’s probably walked off that day on top of the world, and by the time he’s back in the hotel room he’s at absolute rock bottom because he’s fighting, if you like, to save his career.

“Go back through the history of cricket and we’ve had guys who have played hundreds of Test matches combined who have (much worse actions) than Matthew Kuhnemann. I feel like it’s a bit of a token ‘we’ll look like we’re policing this, even though we have never before,’ and Kuhnemann has been the unlucky one.’”