Shakib Al Hasan is barred from bowling in any competitive cricket competitions. The premier Bangladesh all-rounder will not be allowed to bowl in either international or domestic games until his action is cleared. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) confirmed the same through a statement.
It was only a few days ago that the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) suspended Shakib from bowling in any tournament held by the ECB. This was after his action was reported during a County game in September earlier this year. He played just one match in the entire season for Surrey against Somerset and returned with figures of 4/97 & 5/96.
Earlier this month, Shakib could not clear an independent assessment of his bowling action which was conducted at the Loughborough University (an ICC-accredited testing centre) in the UK. Hence, with the ECB suspending the 37-year-old from bowling from their competitions, clause 11.3 in the ICC regulations for illegal bowling actions disqualifies him from bowling in any competitive cricket, approved by the ICC.
Hence, the BCB released a statement acknowledging that Shakib has been suspended from bowling across all competitions. The left-arm spinning all-rounder will only be allowed to bowl once he appears for the reassessment of his action and it is cleared by the officials.
“The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has been informed that national team allrounder Shakib Al Hasan has been suspended from bowling in competitions under the jurisdiction of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). As a result, Shakib is also suspended from bowling in domestic cricket competitions outside Bangladesh and in international cricket. Should the results of this [reassessment] analysis clear his action, Shakib will be permitted to bowl in international cricket and in domestic cricket competitions under the jurisdiction of all national cricket federations,” the BCB’s release stated.
Shakib’s controversy-driven time
It has not been the best of times for Shakib in the recent past. Before the bowling suspension, his entry in Bangladesh was stopped because of protests for and against him took place in Dhaka.
There are allegations that he was involved in the protests that killed hundreds of innocent civilians (mostly students) in July and August. Shakib’s name was among the 147 accused.
When the incident took place and Shakib’s name popped up, he was playing a Test series in Pakistan. He further went on to feature in the two-match Test series in India as well.
During the Kanpur Test, the left-handed all-rounder announced his retirement from T20Is and Test cricket. However, he made his intention clear of playing a farewell Test at home against South Africa. There were reports that Shakib would retire from international cricket after the 2025 Champions Trophy.
But that couldn’t happen as protests took place before the Test series even began and the BCB was forced to take his name off the squad. Shakib has not travelled to Bangladesh since May this year. He is based in the USA with his family and has not played for the national team since the Test series against India in September.
