James Kirtley will have to cut his run-up in half if he gets the go-ahead to continue his Sussex career next month.

Kirtley will be tested on March 10 after he was reported in two Championship games last season and forced to re-model his bowling action.

The results will be known by March 24 and, if he passes, Kirtley will lead the Sussex attack in the opening game against Warwickshire on April 19.

If he fails, Sussex will have to decide whether to apply for another test. If he is reported by the umpires again he faces an automatic 12-month ban.

Whatever happens - and both Kirtley and cricket manager Mark Robinson are optimistic that he will be cleared - it will be a very different Kirtley from the bowler Sussex supporters have got used to tearing down the Hove slope during his prolific county career.

His run-up will be no more than 12 paces but by shortening it he should be able to get the necessary consistency to maintain his new-look action when he gets to the bowling crease.

Robinson said: "By shortening his run-up James will have enough control to stabilise his action and make sure it is repeatable.

"The last thing we want is for James to develop bad habits and get called again because it would be an automatic 12-month ban which nobody wants, least of all James."

Kirtley has been working on his new-look action since the end of October with Robinson and, on four occasions, England bowling coach Troy Cooley.

Bowlers are allowed 15 degrees of movement in their bowling arm, 50 per cent more than when Kirtley was first reported in 2002 and subsequently cleared.

When he goes to Loughborough for the test he will have to bowl six successive bouncers, yorkers and slower balls to test the new action.

A camera costing £4,000 which take 25 picture frames per second will monitor each delivery and the data analysed before Kirtley and the county are informed whether his new action falls on the right side of the 15 degrees law.

But the margins between legal and illegal deliveries are so slim, according to Robinson.

"I have two pictures on my computer, one of James with 11 degrees of movement - which is legal - and one of 19 degrees, which is not," he said.

"I showed them to our coaching staff and (captain) Chris Adams but no one could spot the difference.

"That's why if he does pass I don't think he will have problems in the future, although obviously we will be monitoring things very closely. Visually he is fine.

"It's been a tough few months for James and a real eye-opener for me as his coach.

"We have good days and bad days and sometimes it's a case of one step forward and two back.

"But we have to do this properly and work through it because the consequences are huge. James could end up getting banned for 12 months and that is the last thing anybody wants."

Robinson does not believe shortening his run will hamper Kirtley's effectiveness as a new ball bowler who has nearly 600 first-class wickets under his belt.

"Richard Hadlee and Dennis Lillee are two bowlers who cut their run-up and became better bowlers for it," he added.

"James will still be able to bowl bouncers, his yorkers will still be fast and he will have a better action."

If the unthinkable happens, and Kirtley fails the test, then Sussex will have to make a quick decision on whether to ask for another test.

The new season will be just three weeks away and the county are due to play their first friendly on April 5 when, in normal circumstances, Kirtley would expect to be involved.

Robinson added: "Obviously we can't pre-judge what is going to happen. Ideally he will be passed and can join the other lads and prepare for the new season as normal when they report back on March 21.

"But I'm optimistic and James is so single-minded in his determination to work through this."

Meanwhile, leg spinner Mushtaq Ahmed will report back to Hove on April 4 - ending concerns that he is being lined up for a full-time role in Pakistan's coaching set-up.

Mushtaq has been assisting coach Bob Woolmer during the recent series against India and England and the indications are that he will have a full-time role to play but only after his playing career ends.

His current contract with Sussex runs out at the end of the 2007 season and the county expect him to fulfill it.

Murray Goodwin is due back on April 12 but Rana Naved is unlikely to play in any of Sussex's warm-up fixtures because of Pakistan's short series in Sri Lanka, which doesn't finish until April 7.