Pakistan bowler Tariq and his unusual delivery courts controversy at the T20 World Cup

Colombo, Sri Lanka — Pakistan’s Usman Tariq has become the most talked-about spinner at the T20 World Cup, not merely for his three-wicket burst against the United States, but for a delivery stride so unorthodox that it has reignited one of cricket’s oldest debates: where does ingenuity end and illegality begin?

The 28-year-old off-spinner’s hallmark is a near-freeze at the crease: a momentary pause so pronounced that batters speak of losing rhythm, then a whip-cat release that has already accounted for high-profile scalps such as South Africa’s Dewald Brevis and Australia’s Cameron Green. Brevis fell to Tariq’s second ball in T20 international cricket last November; Green, after miscuing to cover during Pakistan’s 3-0 sweep of Australia in Lahore, mocked the action before later apologising.

Television replays show Tariq’s bowling arm locked in a statuesque position, elbow visibly bent. Critics, including former India wicket-keeper Shreevats Goswami, liken the stutter to a footballer stopping mid-penalty run-up—an act outlawed in the Laws of the Game. The International Cricket Council allows up to 15 degrees of elbow flex, a threshold umpires concede is almost impossible to gauge by eye in real time.

Tariq has already been reported twice for a suspect action during Pakistan Super League campaigns, only to be cleared after biomechanical testing at Lahore’s National Cricket Academy. “I have two elbows in my arm,” he said after the latest round of assessments. “My arm bends naturally. I have got this tested and cleared. Everyone feels I bend my arm and all that. My bent arm is a biological issue.”

The numbers support his impact. In four T20 internationals he has claimed 11 wickets from 88 deliveries, including a hat-trick en route to 4-18 against Zimbabwe in November’s tri-series at Rawalpindi. Those returns persuaded selectors to include him in Pakistan’s 15-man World Cup squad, anticipating slow, turning pitches in Sri Lanka.

Former Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, who kept to Tariq at Quetta Gladiators, believes the pause is the key. “The long pause disturbs all the concentration of batters,” he told The Associated Press. “When he bowls a fastish delivery, or even a slow ball, it leaves the batters clueless.”

Tariq’s rise has been swift. Less than three months ago he spoke of a childhood dream to face arch-rival India. With Pakistan reversing a boycott, Sunday’s group-stage clash offers the off-spinner a potential stage. “I wish there’s a match against India and I can win the game for Pakistan single-handedly,” he said. “My coaches have injected this thing in me that ‘you have to win matches single-handedly’.”

For now, the debate rolls on. Umpires have again scrutinised his action in Sri Lanka; the ICC has taken no further action. Whether Tariq’s pause-and-sling will be remembered as a masterful piece of gamesmanship or a loophole closed by future regulation may depend on how deeply he wounds batting line-ups—and how loudly opponents protest.

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