Spinner Saeed Ajmal has made a "substantial improvement" in his bowling action towards his eventual target of returning within the permitted legal limit, according to the Pakistan Cricket Board.
Ajmal, who took 63 wickets in nine LV = County Championship matches for Worcestershire last season, has been unofficially tested at Loughborough University which is an International Cricket Council credited facility.
The action of the 37-year-old was reported during the Sri Lanka-Pakistan Test match in Galle in August and he was subsequently suspended by the ICC from international cricket after bio-chemical analysis in Australia.
Ajmal, who also played for Worcestershire in 2011, has since worked with former Pakistan spinner Saqlain Mushtaq to try and ensure his action is legal and the pair have been reunited in England for further work together.
Under ICC rules, a bowler is allowed to have a 15-degree elbow extension.
The Pakistan Cricket Board sent Ajmal to Loughborough to undergo the unofficial test before they eventually hope to apply to the ICC for an official test ahead of the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
The PCB said: "After tests on November 10 at Loughborough University, an ICC-accredited facility for tests on bowlers with suspect actions, biomechanist Dr. Mark King has reported that Ajmal has modified his 'bowling action substantially.'
"While there is clearly a substantial improvement from the previous official test, it is likely that with additional work the bowler can bowl within the 15-degree limit."
Ajmal was one of seven bowlers reported since June of this year.
Sri Lanka's Sachitra Senanayake, New Zealand's Kane Williamson, Zimbabwe's Prosper Utseya and Bangladesh's Sohag Gazi were also suspended by the ICC.
Bangladesh's Al-Amin Hossain was cleared after a biomechanical assessment last month while Zimbabwe's Malcolm Waller was reported last week.
