Pakistan off-spinner Mohammad Hafeez has been suspended from bowling in international cricket with immediate effect after the ICC found his action to be illegal, the sport's governing body said on Thursday.

Match officials reported Hafeez in last month's third one-day international against Sri Lanka.

"The assessment revealed that the majority of his deliveries exceeded the 15 degrees level of tolerance permitted under the regulations," the International Cricket Council said in a statement.

Hafeez, 37, has been suspended on two previous occasions for the same offence and served a 12-month ban from July, 2015 after his action was found to be illegal for the second time in a two-year period.—Reuters