‘I was doing it a little bit intentionally’: Shakib Al Hasan on his illegal action playing for Surrey
New Delhi – Dec 7 (LatestNewsX) – Bangladesh all‑rounder Shakib Al Hasan admitted that he had bowled with an illegal action “intentionally” during his stint with Surrey in 2024, leading to a report and subsequent suspension.
After his action was judged unlawful in an independent test at Loughborough University last December, Shakib was barred from bowling in every ECB‑sanctioned contest. In the international arena, the ICC automatically imposed the same sanction.
On the Beard Before Wicket podcast, Shakib said: “I think I was doing it a little bit intentionally because I bowled more than 70 overs [in one match].” He added that he had never delivered 70 overs in a Test career; the figure came from a four‑day game for Surrey against Somerset at Taunton when he was exhausted.
“I played back‑to‑back Test matches in Pakistan, we won that series, and then I went on to play those four‑day matches. The only thing I was thinking was that the umpire might have warned me first, at least,” he explained. “But it is in the rules, so they had the right. I didn’t complain.”
In that sole Surrey outing of the previous season, Shakib rolled out 63.2 overs—split into 33.5 and 29.3 in the two innings. After completing his third bowling assessment at Loughborough earlier this year, he received clearance to bowl again.
“I went to do the test, I failed. And then I saw my test. I was like, ‘okay, so these things are happening’. Then I had to train for a couple of weeks, so I went back to Surrey again and they were kind enough to help me. I did two sessions and I was back to normal. I was like, ‘it’s so easy’.”
The BCB selectors chose not to name him for the Champions Trophy after he failed a second bowling test in Chennai, even though the board had clarified his availability as a batter in all domestic and international fixtures.
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