Shakib Al Hasan Admits to Bowling with Illegal Action During County Stint

Shakib Al Hasan's Admission of Illegal Bowling Action

Shakib Al Hasan, the former captain of Bangladesh, has disclosed that he was intentionally bowling with an illegal action when he was flagged for it after his time with Surrey in 2024. The seasoned cricketer participated in just one match for Surrey last year, delivering 33.5 and 29.3 overs in the two innings.

Following an independent assessment at Loughborough University in December, Shakib was banned from bowling in all competitions governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) due to his illegal action. This suspension was automatically applied to international cricket as per ICC regulations.

'I Was Exhausted': Shakib Reflects on His Bowling Technique

"I believe I was doing it somewhat intentionally because I bowled over 70 overs in one match. I have never bowled that many overs in a Test match before," Shakib shared during an interview on the Beard Before Wicket podcast, as reported by ESPNcricinfo. "I was playing a four-day match for Surrey against Somerset in Taunton and was extremely fatigued. After playing consecutive Test matches in Pakistan, I was thinking that the umpire could have at least given me a warning. However, they were within their rights according to the rules. I didn't raise any complaints. I underwent the test, unfortunately failed, and upon reviewing my results, I realized the situation. I then trained for a couple of weeks, returned to Surrey, and they were supportive in helping me. After two sessions, I was back to normal and thought, 'this is quite simple.'"

Reassessment and Clearance to Bowl

Earlier this year, Shakib successfully passed his third bowling assessment at Loughborough University in the UK, which led to his clearance to bowl again.