Hadlee, Lillee and company have been purists and models for bowlers Ian Smith

Smith said the suggestion was "grossly insulting and degrading to the history of cricket."

The International Cricket Council is set to change the law to allow a 15 degree flexing of the bowling arm.

The move follows extensive research by a team of biomechanical experts, who concluded that vast majority of players did not bowl with a straight arm.

But Smith said former greats like Sir Richard Hadlee, Denniss Lillee and Imran Khan must have been "utterly shocked" by the allegations.

"To be heaped with praise over the years and having been named in the best teams in the world - to then be called a chucker is an absolute insult," he continued.

Smith also claimed allowing bowlers to "chuck" the ball in future would be unfair to batsmen.

Australian opener Matthew Hayden has, meanwhile, responded to claims that three members of their current side have illegal actions.

The comments about Brett Lee, Jason Gillespie and Glenn McGrath were made by Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan, who will be allowed to bowl his controversial doosra delivery if the rule change is approved by the ICC's Executive Board.

Hayden said Muralitharan was not helping himself by making such allegations.

"Sticks and stones kind of stuff from Murali in the papers is not going to get Murali any favours in world cricket."