The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has suspended Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan from bowling in all ECB-organised competitions after an independent testing facility at Loughborough University deemed his bowling action illegal.
Shakib was reported for a suspect action during his one-off appearance for Surrey in September, in a county match against Somerset in Taunton.
On-field umpires Steve O’Shaughnessy and David Millns flagged Shakib’s action, despite the left-arm spinner taking nine wickets in that game.
He was then asked to undergo further analysis of his action.
“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,” stated an ECB release.
The suspension, which took effect after the independent assessment on December 10, 2024, follows the ECB’s regulations for the review of bowlers with suspected illegal bowling actions.
While the suspension is specific to ECB competitions, the ICC’s regulations stipulate that any suspension imposed by a National Cricket Federation, based on an Accredited Testing Centre’s analysis, must be respected by other cricket boards and enforced in international cricket and domestic competitions under their jurisdiction.
This means Shakib’s suspension could extend to international cricket and competitions held by other cricket boards.
To resume bowling in England’s domestic competitions and to be cleared by the ECB, Shakib will need to pass a reassessment of his action.
This was Shakib’s first appearance in county cricket since his brief stint with Worcestershire during the 2010-11 season.
He had taken up a short-term role with Surrey, who were missing eight players due to international duty.
This marks the first time in Shakib’s 17-year career, in which he has taken 712 international wickets in 447 matches, that his bowling action has been scrutinised.
Shakib has been absent from international cricket since playing in the Test series against India in September-October.
He was hoping to end his Test career in the home series against South Africa, but security concerns prevented him from joining the Bangladesh squad.
He also missed the ODI series against Afghanistan in the UAE and Bangladesh’s tour of the West Indies, although he participated in the Abu Dhabi T10 competition.
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