Shakib Al Hasan is available to play for Surrey in their upcoming County Championship match against Somerset, starting Monday, September 9 at the Cooper Associates County Ground in Taunton. Shakib decided to play the first-class match before Bangladesh’s two-match Test series against India which starts later this month.
Surrey roped in Shakib after eight of their players are participating in the ongoing three-match Test series against Sri Lanka and are a part of the IT20 side. Alec Stewart, the Director of Men’s Cricket at Surrey, was delighted to have Shakib onboard and talked about the value he brings in with his experience.
“When the opportunity to bring a player of the quality of Shakib to the Club came along it was an easy decision to make. We’ve been aware for a period of time that this fixture was likely to be one where we would have a significant number of players away on England duty and, in particular, missing two of our spinning all-rounders,” Stewart said.
“Shakib brings a wealth of experience and outstanding skill with bat and ball, and we look forward to seeing what he can do for Surrey.”
Shakib said that he was privileged to be playing Surrey, who have won 22 county championship titles. They also won the 2022 and 2023 editions of the first-class tournament on English soil.
“Surrey are one of the most prestigious clubs in the world, and I am pleased to get the chance to represent the club. I’m coming here to have an impact and help the team achieve their goals for the season,” Shakib was quoted as saying.
Shakib was recently a part of the Bangladesh team that won the historic Test series 2-0 against Pakistan. Surrey are currently on top of the table with 193 points thanks to wins in seven out of 11 matches.
