Botha will undergo a bio-mechanical assessment of his action, but is eligible to play international cricket at the discretion of Cricket South Africa (CSA) until the tests have been completed.

The report was filed by the three umpires officiating Monday’s one-dayer – South Africans Brian Jerling and Rudi Koertzen, and Sri Lanka’s Asoka de Silva – who cited concerns over Botha’s quicker ball and doosra. Botha will be tested within 21 days after CSA receives a formal notice from the ICC.

Vinnie Barnes, the South African bowling coach, worked extensively on Botha’s action when he was last reported for a suspect action after the Sydney Test of 2006, but believes only minor adjustments are needed this time. The spinner, who captained the one-day side in Graeme Smith’s absence on the recent tour of Australia, remains an integral part of South Africa’s World Twenty20 plans, Barnes added.

“I spoke to him today and we looked at a bit of video footage to see what the issue was,” Barnes told Cricinfo. “I will be seeing him today and tomorrow and I’m pretty confident we’ll sort everything out. We’ll get stuck in and get the action right again. It’s quite basic stuff. It was just very disappointing to hear about it like this.

“The problem with Johann initially was that he was a medium-fast bowler who, because of injury, decided to bowl spin. He adopted a fast bowler’s action and applied it to spin, but biomechanically the two actions are quite different. We changed a few things that probably took, at the most, two or three days for him to get right.

“Johan has an amazing ability to adapt and change things quickly. I put a few recommendations to him, and he changed things quite easily. We have worked closely with him on this in the past, and we are quite confident that he will get through this and will be fine to carry on bowling. Right now we are waiting to hear more on the procedures that need to take place, but he is still very much a part of our plans.”

Gerald Majola, the CSA chief executive, said the development was disappointing for the team but hoped that Botha would be able to complete the ICC process in time for the World Twenty20 in England this June. “It’s very disappointing for the team, especially considering his performance over the recent past,” Majola told Cricinfo. “But there’s nothing we can do.

We will follow the procedure laid down by the ICC. Hopefully, he will be cleared before the World Twenty20.”

Within 14 days of the analysis, the appointed specialist will supply the ICC with the result of the bio-mechanical assessment, confirming whether Botha’s action in the fourth ODI was legal or not. If the action is found to be illegal, Botha will be suspended from bowling in international cricket with immediate effect. He would have the option of applying to the ICC for a re-assessment of his action at any time.

It is the second time that Botha’s action has been reported, the first occasion being immediately after his Test debut against Australia at the SCG in January 2006.

He was suspended from bowling the following month when testing confirmed the illegality of his action. In September 2006, Botha’s action was once again found to be illegal even after he had worked on it. He then corrected his action, which was deemed legal upon re-testing, and he resumed playing international cricket in the 2007 Afro-Asia Cup.

“I have put a lot of work into my action,” Botha said during the recent one-day series in Australia. “It probably took 10 months from my first test to the one I passed. I still have (the doosra), but I probably don’t bowl it as much as I used to. Definitely, it is possible to bowl it legally.

“My doosra actually tested lower than my off-spinner for elbow extension. I think my doosra was at 9 per cent, and my offie was at 11 per cent, which are both well below the limit. With the doosra, your wrist cocks to a point where it is actually harder to extend your elbow. I just use it better than I did in the past. (Cricinfo)