The International Cricket Council said on Thursday it is taking new measures to deal with suspect bowling actions.

ICC Chief Executive Malcolm Speed said he understands the concerns within the game about bowlers with illegal actions but underlined the commitment of the ICC to deal with the issue openly and directly.

"The whole issue of "chucking" is a highly charged one that provokes an often emotional response. It is important that the ICC deals with this on the basis of the facts and not be sidetracked by the emotional arguments that can so cloud this issue.

"The reality is that over the past two years there has been a detailed review of this issue and fundamental changes have been made to the way in which the game is identifying and dealing with bowlers with flawed actions," said Speed.

"The ICC is working at both the international level through its reporting, reviewing and suspension procedures and at the domestic level where it is ensuring that each country is developing an effective system to address any concerns before players emerge on to the international stage.

"At the international level there is a simple two stage process to deal with bowlers with potentially flawed actions.

"Stage one provides a six week window for a bowler reported by an umpire or referee to work with experts from his own country and with a human movement specialist from a panel of ICC approved experts to address any flaws.

"Stage two applies if the bowler is reported again after this six week period. He is then required to attend a hearing of the ICC Bowling Review Group which has the power to suspend the player from the game if it is established that his action is illegal.

"This is a simple and direct way of dealing with this issue that balances both the rights of the bowler and the batsmen.

"In the past 12 months three players -- Jermaine Lawson (West Indies); Sanwar Hossain (Bangladesh); and Shabbir Ahmed (Pakistan) -- have entered stage one of this process which is an indication of the attention that is being paid to bowlers' actions by ICC umpires and referees around the world.

"More recently the ICC has also taken the lead by compelling each country to develop its own system to identify players with flawed actions and to correct any problems well before players reach the international level. These systems have not previously existed in all countries.

"There is also an expert ICC panel in Bangladesh at the ICC Under 19 Cricket World Cup comprising Bob Woolmer, Waqar Younis and Prof. Brue Elliot (human movement specialist) that is in place to identify any bowlers in the next generation of international cricketers who have flawed actions to ensure that these are dealt with early on in their careers.

"Finally, while there has been considerable research into this issue in relation to fast bowling, little has been done in this area with spinners' bowling actions.

"Under the direction of former South Africa vice-captain and now ICC General Manager – Cricket, David Richardson, the ICC is commissioning new research relating to spinners so that we have a clear, fact based understanding of what actually takes place in a spinners and rather than solely rely on the naked eye or on TV replays which have proven to be deceptive. This will take place later this year.

"I have seen recent comments by Bob Simpson on this issue and he is entitled to express his views. However, it should be noted that Simpson has not been a part of the ICC Bowling Review Group for several years and since he departed there has been fundamental change in the way in which the game is tackling this issue.

"I would also emphasise that every umpire and every referee judges these issues solely on what they see in front of them. From time to time there are suggestions made that a particular player is either targeted or protected. This is simply untrue.

"The Emirates Elite Panel of Umpires and Referees is made up of highly experienced and capable men who have a deep understanding of the game and a breadth of experience in the sport. They are expected to and do act on what they see not on any other consideration.

"The ICC is committed to dealing with this issue and will continue to examine the best process to address any concerns."

In addition to the steps that are already in place the ICC also confirmed that the topic will again be one of the key discussion points that will be raised with players around the world when the ICC's Cricket Committee – Playing meets in May this year.

CC-P is the key group within the ICC that deals with on-field issues in the game. It is chaired by formed India captain Sunil Gavaskar.

It is made up of 12 representatives, one from each Test playing country and two from ICC Associate countries. Of the 12 members, six are nominated by the players and six are nominated by the Boards. To be eligible for nomination you must have either played or umpired at the international level.

In addition to Gavaskar, current members of CC-P include Angus Fraser, Tim May, John Reid, Errol Stewart and Tiger Pataudi.