Worcestershire cricket club have received a major boost today with news that Pakistan spinner Saeed Ajmal has had his remodelled bowling action cleared by the International Cricket Council.

This was a vital step before the county could finalise any deal for the player to return to New Road this season.

Ajmal made a massive impact last year with 63 LV Championship wickets with bamboozling spin.

Ajmal has been unable to pull on a Pakistan shirt since last August after his action was reported by umpires during a Test match against Sri Lanka in Galle.

But, after undergoing a second round of testing on his action in Chennai last month, the 37-year-old has been given the green light by the ICCl to resume an international career that has netted him 441 wickets across all formats.

Crucially, all of Ajmal's deliveries passed the ICC testing. When he was last tested in Brisbane six months ago, shortly after being reported, it was found that he illegally straightened his arm by more than 15 degrees in all of his deliveries.

Ajmal remains unable to play at the upcoming World Cup, however, with Pakistan having already submitted their 15-man squad.

The spinner's only hope of playing at the tournament, which begins on February 14, would be if a member of Pakistan's squad was to suffer injury.

Even then, any inclusion would need to be approved by the ICC's event technical committee.

Ajmal's clearance is nonetheless an important step forward for a bowler who has remained at the top of the ICC's one-day international bowling rankings during his absence.