New Delhi, 7 December – Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has revealed that he deliberately bowled with an illegal action while playing for Surrey in 2024. He was suspended due to his suspect bowling action.
Last December, during independent testing at Loughborough University, Shakib’s bowling action was declared illegal. Following this, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) banned him from bowling in all their matches. Consequently, as per ICC regulations, this suspension automatically applied to international cricket as well. Since 1 October 2024, Shakib has not appeared in any international matches.
Speaking on the Bearded Before Wicket podcast, Shakib said, “I was somewhat deliberate in doing this. In one match, I bowled over 70 overs. I have never bowled 70 overs in a Test match in my career. I was playing a four-day match for Surrey against Somerset at Taunton and was very tired.”
He added, “I had played two consecutive Test matches in Pakistan. We won the series, and then I went to play a four-day match. I thought the umpire could have at least warned me first. But since it is in the rules, they had the right to do so. I did not complain.”
In the previous season’s Surrey matches, Shakib bowled a total of 63.2 overs, with 33.5 and 29.3 overs in two innings respectively. Earlier this year, after taking his third bowling assessment test at Loughborough University in the UK, he was allowed to bowl again.
Shakib explained, “I went for the test and failed. After watching my footage, I thought, ‘Okay, these things are happening.’ Then I had to train for a few weeks, so I went back to Surrey, where they helped me. I did two sessions and became normal again. Meanwhile, I felt it was quite easy.”
After failing a second bowling test in Chennai, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) selectors did not pick Shakib for the Champions Trophy. However, the board clarified that he remains available to play as a batsman in both domestic and international cricket.
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