Cricket's ruling body last night warned Sri Lanka's beleaguered spinner Muttiah Muralitharan that he may be banned for a year if he continues to bowl the "mystery ball" which has been shown to be illegal.
Murali's doosra, the delivery that turns away from right-handed batsmen, was classified as a throw during scientific tests at the University of Western Australia.
And the International Cricket Council, through its chief executive Mal Speed, has waved aside a Sri Lankan campaign for Murali to be allowed a moratorium while worldwide research into spin bowlers' actions is completed.
Speed insisted that the limits of tolerance for how much bowlers can straighten their arms in delivery will be enforced - even though the spin bowlers' five-degree limit is half that allowed to fast bowlers.
"If any bowler is reported for a second time within a year, the ICC's bowling review group has the power to impose a ban of up to 12 months," he warned. "The current levels of tolerance are based on expert advice which suggests that, beyond a certain level, bowlers will gain an unfair advantage.
"Last September, at a meeting of chief executives in India, the ICC reviewed these levels and all countries were in agreement that the current standards should remain.
"These universally-agreed levels of tolerance were applied in three previous cases over the past 12 months and will continue to be applied. The suggestion that, because the ICC will be conducting further research into the actions of spinners, the current levels of tolerance should not be applied in Murali's case lacks common sense."
Speed also lambasted Sri Lanka for their allegations of "boozing and bias" against Chris Broad, the match referee who reported Murali during the series with Australia. "The allegations that have appeared in the media and attributed to Sri Lanka cricket are serious and significant yet there is not one piece of evidence offered to support them.
"There are no specifics - no places, no dates, no times - and it is disappointing that a national board would elect to make disparaging comments about an ICC match official without providing any material to support these comments."
In light of the claims, the ICC decided to remove Broad as the referee for the current one-day series between Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka.