Shakib Al Hasan makes shocking confession about doing something ILLEGAL on purpose

Former Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan has revealed why he bowled with an illegal action during his county spell with Surrey in 2024. The left-arm spinner said he had been bowling with an illegal action “a little bit intentionally” because he was extremely tired at the time, which led to a suspension from bowling.

The veteran cricketer played only one match for Surrey last year, where he bowled long spells in both innings. During that game against Somerset in Taunton, the spinner was reported for a suspect bowling action. An independent test at Loughborough University later confirmed that his action was illegal.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) suspended him from bowling in all of their competitions. Shakib was also banned from bowling in international cricket because ICC rules automatically extend such suspensions.

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I Was Doing It a Little Bit Intentionally - Shakib Al Hasan on His Illegal Action

Shakib Al Hasan recently spoke about his suspension for his bowling action. Speaking on the Beard Before Wicket podcast, Shakib admitted that he bowled “a little bit intentionally” with an illegal action because he was extremely tired.

"I think I was doing it a little bit intentionally because I bowled more than 70 overs [in one match]," Shakib told the Beard Before Wicket podcast. "I never bowled 70 overs in my career in a Test match. I was playing that four-day match for Surrey against Somerset in Taunton. I was so tired."

I Thought the Umpire Could Have Just Warned Me - Shakib Al Hasan

Shakib bowled 63.2 overs in his only match for Surrey. He bowled 33.5 overs in the first innings and 29.3 in the second. The spinner said that he accepted the umpires’ decision to report his bowling action. However, he felt they might have given him a warning before taking that step.

"I played back-to-back Test matches in Pakistan. We won that series and then I went to play those four-day matches. The only thing I was thinking the umpire could have done was just warn me first, at least. But it is in the rules, so they had the right. I didn't complain," Shakib stated.

I Did Two Sessions and I Was Back to Normal - Shakib Al Hasan

Shakib Al Hasan returned to Surrey to correct his action after failing his first bowling action test in the UK and another one in Chennai. The veteran said that Surrey’s coaches helped him train for a couple of weeks, and his action was back to normal after just two sessions.

"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'," Shakib continued.

Shakib’s return to bowling wasn’t straightforward. He failed a test in Chennai that ruled him out of the Champions Trophy squad, despite the board saying he could still play as a specialist batter. The bowler was allowed to bowl again after clearing another assessment in the UK.

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