Shakib Al Hasan's bowling action questioned in English county

Shakib Al Hasan has been playing international cricket for 17 years, with an even longer professional career.

Throughout this lengthy period, the experienced all-rounder has represented Bangladesh alongside competing in almost every major franchise league worldwide.

Known primarily for his bowling, Shakib's left-arm spin has earned him numerous records.

However, his bowling action has now come under scrutiny—a surprising development indeed.

During his stint in the English County Championship, Shakib's bowling action was questioned, marking the first time in his career that such an issue has arisen. According to a Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) official, the county authorities have raised concerns about the Bangladesh all-rounder's bowling action, and Shakib has been informed of the matter.

He is expected to undergo testing at an English lab soon.

This raises the question of whether this is why Shakib is not playing in the series against Afghanistan in Dubai. However, there is no connection between his absence from this series and the concerns raised over his bowling action.

This issue only affects his participation in the County Championship. Even with a suspect bowling action, Shakib is free to continue playing in international cricket and other domestic leagues, as he is only required to clear the action test to play in English domestic cricket or county matches.

A BCB official stated, "We have not received any official communication on this matter. Since this isn't an international-level issue, it's not crucial for us to be informed. However, we have heard about it. Shakib's bowling action was questioned in the County Championship, but this applies solely to domestic cricket in England.

Shakib is aware of the situation and will likely undergo testing soon. This does not affect his eligibility for international or other domestic cricket."

Shakib went to play county cricket in England after competing in the Test series in India last September. On his return to county cricket after nearly 13 years, he played one match for Surrey, where he took four wickets in the first innings and five in the second, totaling 63.2 overs—the most by a Surrey bowler in that match against Somerset. It was this match that saw his bowling action questioned.

Shakib has spent an extended period abroad recently. After playing in the T20 World Cup last June, he returned briefly to Bangladesh, then moved to the United States to play in Major League Cricket (MLC).

Later, he captained the Bengali Tigers Mississauga in Canada's Global T20 league. Following that, Shakib played a Test series in Pakistan and then joined the Bangladesh squad in India for another Test series before returning to the US.