The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced on Sunday that all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has been banned from bowling in all tournaments after the England Cricket Board (ECB) recently declared his bowling action unlawful. Shakib's action following his club Surrey's September loss to Somerset were the subject of an investigation. He scored 12 runs in the first inning and 0 in the second in this, his sole game for the county team.
BCB confirms ICC ban
The BCB confirmed that the veteran all-rounder's ban was applicable worldwide under the auspices of the International Cricket Council's (ICC) regulations, despite the initial understanding that it only applied to bowling in English competitions.
"The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has been informed that National Team all-rounder 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. This suspension follows the outcome of an independent assessment conducted at an International Cricket Council (ICC) accredited testing centre in the United Kingdom," the BCB shared in a media release.
"The BCB also understands that, as per clause 11.4 of the ICC regulations, Shakib may undergo further analysis at an ICC-accredited testing centre. Should the results of this analysis clear his action, Shakib will be permitted to bowl in international cricket," the statement further added.
Shakib can continue to play on the role of a specialist batter in any tournament as the ban is only on his bowling. "The BCB is aware that Shakib will soon appear for reassessment at an accredited testing centre in an effort to have his bowling action cleared," the BCB stated.
This is the first time Shakib's bowling action has been questioned since his 2006 international debut. The left-arm all-rounder has the record of being the only player to score more than 14,000 runs and take more than 700 wickets. On November 30, Shakib played his final competitive game while captaining the Bangla Tigers in the Abu Dhabi T10 league. He bowled two overs without a wicket for 12 runs and was still unbeaten at zero.
