Shakib Al Hasan Returns To England's County After 14 Years and Gets Banned From Bowling

Shakib Al Hasan, highest wicket-taker for Bangladesh in international cricket, has been banned from bowling by ECB in England's competitions due to an illegal action.

Hyderabad:The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has banned former Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan, who holds the record of most wickets for Bangladesh in international cricket, from bowling in all competitions under its jurisdiction due to an illegal bowling action. This decision follows an independent assessment conducted at Loughborough University, which confirmed irregularities in the left-arm spinner's action.

Shakib’s action was reported during his sole game for Surrey in a County Championship match against Somerset in September, held in Taunton. On-field umpires Steve O'Shaughnessy and David Millns raised concerns after the Bangladeshi bowler picked up 9 wickets in the match. Shakib then subsequently underwent an analysis of his bowling action, which led to the suspension.

Following the completion of Shakib Al Hasan's bowling action Tests, the ECB released a statement which reads, "Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has been suspended from bowling in ECB competitions following an independent assessment of his bowling action."

"Shakib’s action was reported by the standing umpires while he was playing for Surrey in the County Championship match against Somerset in September. Shakib completed an independent assessment at Loughborough University earlier this month, which found that the elbow extension in his bowling action exceeded the 15-degree threshold as defined in the Regulations."

"This suspension takes effect from the receipt of the independent assessment on 10 December 2024 and follows the process set out in the ECB’s Regulations for the Review of Bowlers Reported with a Suspected Illegal Bowling Action. Shakib is ineligible to bowl in ECB competitions until he has passed an independent re-assessment of his bowling action," read the statement.

Shakib's current suspension is related to competitions in the UK, but according to Section 11.3 of the International Cricket Council (ICC) regulations for the review of bowlers states that the ban could beyond ECB-organised events, potentially impact Shakib's participation in international cricket and leagues conducted by other cricket boards. To resume bowling in England’s domestic circuit, Shakib will need to undergo a reassessment and receive clearance from the ECB.

Shakib, who made his County Championship debut in the 2010-11 season, made a return to county cricket after 14 years. He had joined Surrey for a short-term role as the team was missing their eight players due to national duties. While representing Surrey in a lone game, Shakib took 4 wickets in the first innings and picked up a five-wicket haul in the second. However, he failed to make an impact with the bat, having scored only 12 runs in the first innings and a five-ball duck in the second.

Notably, this is the first instance in Shakib’s 17-year career, spanning 447 matches and 712 international wickets, that his bowling action has been called into question. Shakib is the leading wicket-taker for Bangladesh in international wickets. Not just that, he is leading wicket-taker for Bangladesh in ODIs (317 wickets in 247 matches), in T20Is (149 wickets in 129 matches) and Tests (246 wickets in 71 Tests).

He hasn't played an international game in any format for Bangladesh after featuring in the two-match Test series against India.

The left-hand batter had expressed his wish to end his Test career in front of a home crowd amid a student protest, during the Test series against South Africa, but he was not picked in the squad, following which he shifted to the USA with his family.