Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib admits to chucking intentionally

Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib al Hasan, in a shocking admission, has agreed to chucking intentionally during a county championship match in England. The incident had happened in September last year during Surrey’s first-class match against Somerset in Taunton. Shakib was reported for suspected illegal action by the umpires and an independent assessment at Loughborough University in December last year, he was banned from bowling in England Cricket Board (ECB) competition. The all-rounder, who had bowled 65 overs in the match, in a recent chat on Bread Before Wicket podcast, revealed he was tired and chucked intentionally.

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“I think I was doing it a little bit intentionally because I bowled more than 70 overs in one match,” Shakib said on the podcast. “I have never bowled 70 overs in a Test match in my career. I was playing that four-day match for Surrey against Somerset at Taunton and I was completely exhausted.

“I had just played back-to-back Test matches in Pakistan, which we won, and then went straight into those four-day matches. The only thing I felt the umpire could have done was at least warn me first. But it is in the rules, so they had the right. I did not complain,” he added.

Shakib wants a proper good bye series

The all-rounder had called time on his T20I career last year while announcing that the Dhaka Test against South Africa in 2024 would be his last. Shakib, however, was not picked for the series and his last Test remains the Kanpur context against India, also in 2024. He now has decided to reverse his decision to retire from Tests and T20Is. While Shakib may have revealed his intentions, it looks uncertain at this point of time that he'll be allowed to come back to the country in the aftermath of the protest which overthrew Sheikh Hasina's government.