DHAKA, Sept 9, 2024 (BSS) - Bangladesh allrounder Shakib Al Hasan made his debut in Surrey as the club included him in the playing XI in their County Championship match against Somerset at an away ground in Taunton.
 
The ace allrounder was given his debut cap by West Indies pacer Kemar Roach. 
 
Surrey have eight players unavailable because of England commitments, with Ollie Pope, Jamie Smith, Dan Lawrence and Gus Atkinson all on Test duty.
 
The all-rounder is widely regarded as the greatest Bangladeshi cricketer of all-time and is currently ranked in the top three of the ICC all-rounder rankings of all three formats, Surrey said about Shakib in their website. 
 
The left-hander has over 4,500 runs in Test Match cricket at an average of 38 as well as just under 250 wickets with his accurate left-arm spin, having represented his country 69 times in the red-ball arena. He has over 14,000 runs and 700 wickets in international cricket, and he is Bangladesh's leading wicket-taker of all-time in Test, ODI and IT20 cricket, as well as the leading IT20 run-scorer of all time for his country.
 
Alec Stewart, Director of Men's Cricket at Surrey, said "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.
 
"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 Al Hasan said he would try to give his best.
 
 "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," he was quoted in Surrey website.
 
Shakib will play this match only before moving to India to join the Bangladesh team where the Tigers will play two Tests and three T20 Internationals.
 
Shakib played for an English county club as the first Bangladeshi in 2009-10. He played eight first-class matches for Worcestershire that time. He also played the NatWest T20 Blast for Leicestershire in 2013.
 
Shakib got NOC to play in the country from September 5 to 14.
 
The star allrounder headed to England, straight from Pakistan, where Bangladesh achieved a historic success, sweeping the two-match Test series against the hosts.