It's not all about Usman Tariq: England fire warning ahead of Pakistan Super 8s clash

London – Two-time T20 World Cup champions England have dismissed the idea that Tuesday night’s Super Eights decider against Pakistan will hinge solely on the enigmatic off-spinner Usman Tariq, insisting their game plan is built around countering an entire spin-heavy attack rather than one headline act.

Left-arm spinner Liam Dawson, fresh from a disciplined two-wicket display in Friday’s 51-run win over co-hosts Sri Lanka, told reporters that England’s analysts have widened the lens to include every slow-bowling option Pakistan can deploy.

“It’s not all about Tariq,” Dawson said on the eve of the Antigua contest. “They’re a very good team with some dangerous players, and Tariq’s obviously a very good bowler. But we’re not going to just look at him. We’ll look at the whole team and see how we can nullify them.”

The warning comes as England attempt to secure a top-two finish in Group 2 and book a semifinal spot. A victory would complete a rapid rebound after their opening Super Eights stumble, yet concerns linger over their ability to negotiate quality spin: four of England’s top five batters fell to Sri Lankan slow bowlers last time out, a vulnerability that could be exploited by Pakistan’s six-pronged spin contingent of Tariq, Shadab Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Saim Ayub, Salman Agha and Mohammad Nawaz.

Tariq has been the tournament’s curiosity, his action punctuated by a pronounced pause before the ball is released. England captain Harry Brook mimicked the hesitation during training on Monday, but Dawson stressed that imitation was part of preparation, not obsession.

Dawson, 34, believes England’s own varied spin trio can shape the match. Against Sri Lanka he combined with off-spinner Will Jacks and leg-spinner Adil Rashid to claim seven of the ten wickets as the chase of 146 was throttled at 95 all out.

“We’re all very different types of spinners,” Dawson explained. “Jacksy gets a lot of overspin and a lot of bounce. Dilly has all his variations. Me – I sort of don’t get the bounce that the other two get. It will be a different challenge on Tuesday night. We might get a better batting wicket. We’ll have to see.”

He added: “Out of the three or four of us, I’m probably more the defensive spinner in this, and I know that’s my role, and I’m just trying to be consistent for the captain. Adil can use all his tricks, and he comes on to get the wickets and get us back in games or put us ahead in games.”

England’s slow-bowling unit carries a combined 200-plus T20 caps, a resource Dawson believes breeds calm under pressure.

“We’re all very experienced. If you look at the amount of cricket that me and Adil have played, even Jacks as well, it’s probably only with Beth that’s probably got a little bit less experience. But there’s a lot of trust in the guys that go out there and try to execute what you want to try and do.”

With a semifinal berth on the line, England’s message is clear: Pakistan may arrive armed with mystery, but the champions are braced for the full repertoire, not just its most talked-about exponent.