Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has been cleared of an illegal bowling action by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) after undergoing a third assessment within the last few months.
Shakib’s action came under the scanner during his County Championship match for Surrey against Somerset in September last year. He failed an independent assessment of his bowling action at Loughborough University, an ECB-accredited testing facility after being reported.
As per Clause 11.3 of ICC’s regulations for illegal bowling, a ban imposed by a national federation is automatically enforced in international cricket and domestic competitions of the respective federations. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) then confirmed this rule.
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Later on, Shakib underwent a second independent test in a facility in Chennai in January but couldn’t overturn the ban.
Shakib’s international career has been rocked with uncertainty since he was allegedly charged in connection with a murder case linked to the killings during the students’ protests in Bangladesh last year. He was a member of the ousted Sheikh Hasina government.
Having already retired from Tests and T20Is, he was set to call time on his international career after playing in the 2025 Champions Trophy. However, his failure to get his action cleared on both occasions resulted in Bangladesh not selecting him for the squad as a pure batter.
Finally, in Shakib's own admission, the ban has been lifted after undergoing a third test, at the Loughborough University again. "The news is right (passing about the bowling test) and I am cleared to bowl again," Shakib was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.
Shakib's last international outing was during Bangladesh’s second Test against India in Kanpur in October last year. Bangladesh’s next ODI series is against Sri Lanka, and the veteran all-rounder could feature in it after being overlooked in both the IPL auction and PSL draft.
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