Kane Williamson: NZ & Yorkshire off-spinner banned over action

Williamson has taken 24 wickets in 34 Tests for New Zealand

New Zealand and Yorkshire batsman Kane Williamson has been banned from bowling in international and domestic cricket because of an illegal action.

The off-spinner was reported to the International Cricket Council after June's second Test against West Indies.

He took one wicket in 15.2 overs as the Windies won that Test by 10 wickets.

Analysis at Cardiff Metropolitan University found the 23-year-old's elbow extension when bowling exceeded the 15 degrees allowed under ICC rules.

The ban also applies to county cricket, where Williamson has taken five wickets from 61.4 overs for Yorkshire in the County Championship this season.

Williamson said: "I will focus on changing whatever's necessary to return to the bowling crease.

"Clearly, the onus is on me to satisfy assessors as to the legality of my action, and I'm aware I have some hard work in front of me to achieve that goal.

"It's never nice, going through this sort of process but it will be worth it if I can manage to bowl again at international level."

Although primarily a batsman, Williamson's part-time spin has often been used by New Zealand, where he has captured 24 wickets in 34 Tests and 23 victims in 54 one-day internationals.

The ICC recently banned another off-spinner, Sri Lanka's Sachithra Senanayake, for an illegal action.