Buckingham Town is delighted to announce Shane Shillingford will return to the club for their 2022 Home Counties Premier League campaign.

Windes domestic legend

Shane Shillingford is a tall off-spinning all-rounder who lorded West Indies domestic cricket for two decades (2000-2020). He played 260 matches during this period capturing 746 wickets, alongside 3,349 runs. He took 44 five-wicket bags, 11 ten-wicket match hauls, best figures of 8-33 en route to his match haul of 14-110 against Barbados (March 2012), and averaged a tick over 23.50, across the three formats.

International success

Following years of toil, to include first-class season tallies of 31 wickets at 20.64 (2007/08), 56 wickets at 19.05 (2008/09), and 28 wickets at 26.42 (2009/10), he finally earned his maiden Test call-up in June 2010 against the touring South Africans. He made a huge impression, taking big scalps in the form of Petersen, Smith, Kallis, and Amla.

Shillingford continued to shine on the following tour to Sri Lanka, but his action was later deemed illegal. He underwent remedial work and worked his way back into the side for the Bangladesh tour in 2011. His first six Tests fetched him 18 wickets, but he took it up a few notches when he returned to the Test side in 2012, taking his first five-for and ten-wicket match haul, against Australia, dismissing Clarke and Hussey in both innings, alongside Ponting, Watson, Warner, and Wade.

He was the highest wicket-taker for West Indies on the tour to India, with 11 wickets in two Tests, but was reported once again for a suspect action during the second Test in Mumbai. He was suspended from bowling in international cricket for the second time in his career in December 2013, during the West Indies’ tour of New Zealand, with the ICC stating that the degree of elbow flex in his standard off-break and doosra deliveries exceeded the permitted 15 degrees.

Shillingford underwent remedial work on his action and was cleared for an international return in March 2014. However, with his doosra still deemed illegal, he struggled in the first series after his return, taking five wickets in two Tests against New Zealand. This proved to be his last in Windies colours, ending his international career with 70 wickets at 34.55 in 16 Tests.

Domestic dominance

Nevertheless, Shillingford continued to churn wickets at the domestic level for the Windward Islands – 36 wickets at 26.25 (2014/15), 34 wickets at 25.58 (2015/16), 39 wickets at 24.30 (2016/17), 38 wickets at 25.02 (2017/18), 17 wickets at 15. 35 (2018/19), and 15 wickets at 33.80 (2019/20) lay testament to that.

In January 2019, Shillingford was suspended from bowling in domestic cricket, following match figures of 5-115 against Guyana and his 12-wicket match haul against Trinidad and Tobago. It was the third time Shillingford’s action has come under scrutiny. However, following further remedial work, he returned to domestic cricket in November 2019, where he has continued to impress, before retiring from the circuit and relocating to Canada with his family shortly thereafter.

Despite the issues with his action, Shillingford enjoyed a fruitful career with the ball. He’s was also very handy with the bat too, with a Test fifty and 9 further half-centuries in first-class cricket.

Shane shines for Buckingham, and now set to return in 2022

Whilst in the final throes of his illustrious playing career, Shillingford decided to embark on a Player/Coach role for Buckingham Town in 2021. He was a resounding success. On the field, 414 runs at 31.85 and 51 wickets at 15.33, to finish atop of the Home Counties Premier League wicket charts lay testament to that. However, it was his exploits off the field that earned high praise and ultimately, the major reason he’s been invited back for a second stint in 2022.

It’s anticipated, like many ex International cricketers, Shillingford will move into coaching now he’s domestic playing career is at an end. However, given his coaching success and accolades to date, it’s clear he has quite the career ahead of him.