Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has revealed that he “slightly deliberately” bowled an illegal action when he was reported during his county stint at Surrey in 2024, a revelation that sheds new light on the sequence of events that led to his suspension.
Shakib was reported for a suspicious action during the four-day District Championship match against Somerset in Taunton, where he had a huge workload after a grueling international schedule. An independent review at Loughborough University in December 2024 later found his actions illegal, leading to an automatic suspension from all competitions organized by the England and Wales Cricket Board. Under ICC regulations, the ban was also enforced in international cricket.
Speaking on the Beard Before Wicket podcast, Shakib admitted that fatigue played a major role in the change in his action. “I think I was doing it a bit deliberately because I bowled more than 70 overs in one match,” he said. “I’ve never bowled 70 overs in a Test match in my career. I had just played back-to-back Tests in Pakistan, then I went straight into that four-day match. I was exhausted.”
Shakib bowled 63.2 overs in his only match for Surrey, split between 33.5 and 29.3 overs in two innings. He said he accepted the referees’ decision to report him, although he felt a warning could have been issued. “It’s in the rules, so they had the right to do it. I didn’t complain,” he added.
After a failed first Test in the UK and a second Test in Chennai, Shakib worked closely with Surrey’s coaches to revamp his action. “I trained for a couple of weeks and went back to Surrey. They helped me a lot. After just two sessions I was back to normal,” he said.
Finally he was Having completed his third assessment at Loughborough earlier this year. However, his absence during this period had consequences. The Bangladesh Cricket Board did not select him for the Champions Trophy despite clarifying that he remained available as a specialist batsman in all formats of domestic and international cricket.
Shakib’s candid admission reignited the debate about a player’s workload, managing fatigue and the subtle margins that can change a bowler’s action at the elite level.
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Issued by:
Amar Panicker
Published on:
December 7, 2025
