After a long wait, Shakib Al Hasan has finally been cleared to bowl, marking the end of his suspension. The star all-rounder received approval following a successful bowling action test in England, bringing joy to his supporters and former teammates.
Shakib Al Hasan, Bangladesh’s star all-rounder, has been reinstated as a legal bowler after passing a test at an ICC-accredited lab in England. This news broke late on the night of March 18, and was confirmed by Shakib’s T10 League team, the Bangla Tigers.
Shakib had previously failed bowling action tests twice, once in Birmingham and then in Chennai, which led to his suspension. The flaw in his bowling action was detected while playing for Surrey in county cricket, prompting the suspension. Since then, Shakib worked with Surrey’s coach Gareth Batty to rectify the issue, a process that has now borne fruit.
The announcement of Shakib’s reinstated bowling action has been met with excitement by former national team captain Khaled Mashud Pailot. Speaking to Dhaka Post, Pailot expressed his happiness, stating, “This is great news. I’m thrilled that Shakib is back to bowling. He can now play everywhere. If the selectors believe he should be considered, they can bring him back into the squad.”
Shakib’s first coach, Saddam Hossain Gorky, also shared his joy, saying, “It’s a huge piece of good news. Despite facing the challenge of an illegal bowling action in the final stages of his career, Shakib has made a comeback. He has played for so many years and brought our country to great heights.”
Liberty News’ sports correspondent states that with this clearance, Shakib is now free to bowl both in domestic cricket in England and in international matches. However, if any issues with his bowling action arise again, ICC regulations state that he could face a one-year ban from cricket. This significant milestone in his career means Shakib can now return to being a full-fledged all-rounder across all formats of the game.
LND/BG
