The legitimacy of Hasan Durham?s bowling action will be put under a microscope this weekend when he flies to London to be assessed by bio-mechanics experts appointed by the International Cricket Council.

The veteran left arm spinner ? a member of Bermuda?s highly-rated spin trio which also includes Dwayne Leverock and Delyone Borden ? was reported to the world governing body by umpires Roger Dill and Ian Gould after Bermuda?s opening Americas Championship game against Canada in Toronto last month.

While there have been whisperings in the past about his action from opponents and spectators, the Canada game represented the first time he had any sort of formal action taken against him in an international game.

While in London, Durham?s action will be filmed from a variety of different angles while bowling in the indoor nets at Lord?s.

From there, the footage will be analysed on computer using specially designed software to determine whether there is a straightening of his arm at the point of delivery beyond the 15 degrees of ?flex? permitted under ICC regulations.

Like all spinners, Durham has a number of different deliveries in his arsenal, including an arm ball which goes straight on rather than spinning away from a right handed batsman in the orthodox manner.

He has also been experimenting with a left-arm version of the doosra ? a ball made famous by Sri Lankan off spinner Muttiah Muralitharan which is delivered out of the front of the hand and looks to be spinning the normal way but ends up doing the opposite.

While national coach Gus Logie is adamant there is nothing wrong with Durham?s orthodox delivery, it is the latter two variations he feels could be causing problems.

If the analysis shows that Durham?s action is illegal only when he bowls the arm ball and the doosra, he will be banned from bowling them in international cricket but will still be allowed to carry on playing.

However, should his action be deemed totally illegal, he will be suspended from all international cricket immediately pending a period of remedial work where he will attempt to iron out any kinks before being re-tested.

The length of this first suspension would be determined by the ICC?s Bowling Review Group, though Durham would be entitled to apply for a re-assessment whenever he felt he was ready.

Should he then pass the second test, he would be allowed to resume playing.

But if he is reported a second time by umpires, he would automatically be banned from representing Bermuda for one year.

Meanwhile, Logie admitted that losing somebody of Durham?s experience and skill only six months before the World Cup would be a significant blow to the team ? while adding that the Western Stars stalwart appears to be taking the added pressure in his stride.

?Losing any key player at this stage of the game would be a disappointment,? Logie said.

?But I do not want to go down that road because I?m pretty optimistic that the analysis will show that his normal delivery is legitimate.

?It?s a pretty unpleasant experience for any bowler to be accused of throwing, because no matter what you do, it tends to stay with you.

?But he?s been training with us and seems to be handling the situation OK. It will be good to get the assessment done so he can move on and concentrate on playing cricket and doing well for Bermuda.?

The subject of illegal bowling actions has always been an emotive issue in cricket, but has become a particularly sensitive one since the emergence of Muralitharan.

Before huge improvements in the television coverage of top-level cricket, whether a bowler was straightening his arm from a bent position on delivery was left exclusively to the judgement of the umpires.

Now, however, actions can be scrutinised in super-slow motion and every little kink or flaw laid bare.

But what increased research has also shown is that virtually no bowler is capable of maintaining a perfectly straight arm through the course of a delivery ? a discovery which led to a recent re-jigging of an already complicated law which now allows leeway for more flexion in the elbow joint than was previously permitted.

Opponents of this change have accused the ICC of adjusting the law simply to avoid a public scrap with the Sri Lankans and accusations of racism from the powerful Asian bloc ? something they have always denied.