71 Tests, 247 ODIs, 129 T20s. Add to that countless matches in major franchise leagues around the world. Never, not once, has Shakib Al Hasan’s bowling action been questioned.
Yet, during a Division One match in the English County Championship for Surrey, the umpires reportedly found his action suspicious. Why did this happen? What led the umpires to believe something was off with Shakib’s bowling action? Why did his action suddenly come under scrutiny?
Shakib’s long-time coaches, Nazmul Abedeen and Mohammad Salahuddin, have no prior experience of Shakib ever facing issues with his bowling action. In fact, both believe the current situation in England isn’t something serious. Salahuddin even spoke to Shakib about it.
Nazmul, now a BCB director, has been closely observing Shakib since his Under-16 days at BKSP. Over the years, he has helped Shakib overcome various cricketing challenges. Despite deep thought, Nazmul couldn’t recall any instance where Shakib had issues with his bowling action. However, he doesn’t outright dismiss the English umpires’ observations. ‘An English county umpire wouldn’t make such a claim without reason. He must have observed something,’ Nazmul remarked.
He speculated a possible issue: ‘After extensive bowling, if his spinning finger becomes fatigued, he might unconsciously use another finger to generate spin, causing a slight change in his action. When a bowler tries to adjust his hand position to spin the ball differently, his action could alter without him realizing.’
Nazmul is confident that even in such a scenario, Shakib’s elbow wouldn’t exceed the permissible 15-degree bend. ‘I don’t think it would go beyond that. Once tested, things should become clear.’
Salahuddin doesn’t view this as a major concern either. ‘It’s not a big issue. It’s not like he can’t bowl anywhere anymore. He just can’t bowl under ECB jurisdiction for now, but he’s free to bowl everywhere else.’
After hearing about the action query in the media, Salahuddin called Shakib, who confirmed the umpires had indeed flagged his action. While the incident is unprecedented in Shakib’s career, Salahuddin isn’t alarmed. ‘Umpires can question any bowler’s delivery if they find it suspicious in a match. It doesn’t mean his action is illegal. He’ll just need to clear a test under ECB if he wants to play there again. It’s not an issue elsewhere.’
Shakib played that county match for Surrey in September, filling in during a time when eight regulars, including spinners Will Jacks and Dan Lawrence, were unavailable. Despite taking nine wickets against Somerset, Surrey lost the match by 111 runs. Shakib bowled 63 overs in that game. Two months later, the umpire’s suspicion came to light.
Salahuddin firmly believes there’s no issue with Shakib’s action. If there is any anomaly, it’s likely due to bowling a large number of overs, he suggests. ‘I don’t think there’s a problem with his action. Maybe something caught the umpire’s eye after prolonged bowling. It could even be due to finger fatigue affecting one or two deliveries.’
Salahuddin has worked extensively with Shakib both for the national team and outside of it, even accompanying him to India for special training during the IPL. Like Nazmul, he has never considered Shakib’s action problematic.
However, Salahuddin did recall a distant memory, ‘Back when Shakib was in the Under-17 team, there might have been a brief discussion about his action.’ Nazmul, Shakib’s coach since Under-16, couldn’t remember anything of the sort. ‘I don’t recall anyone ever raising concerns about his action.’
According to ESPNcricinfo, ‘Discussions are ongoing regarding Shakib undergoing a bowling action test. It’s expected he will take the test in a few weeks.’ Salahuddin, however, reiterates, ‘It’s not a major issue. Shakib isn’t worried, and there’s no need for concern. There’s no rush for the test either.
