Usman Tariq for Pakistan - (Source: AFP)
On Saturday, February 7, the 10th edition of the T20 World Cup 2026 kicks off in India and Sri Lanka. Pakistan and the Netherlands will play the curtain-raiser game in Colombo. Ahead of the opening match, PAK skipper Salman Ali Agha addressed the press, where he spoke on several matters.
Agha talked about the team combination, the Asia Cup handshake saga and also the recent controversy surrounding Usman Tariq. Notably, Pakistan have right-arm spinner Tariq in their squad, who landed in hot waters over his controversial action.
Why is Usman Tariq surrounded by controversy?
Usman Tariq made his T20I debut in 2025, but rose to fame during the PSL 2024 and 2025 editions. The 30-year-old picked up 12 wickets across two seasons, but grabbed the headlines for the wrong reasons. Notably, several players accused Tariq of ‘chucking’.
The batters claimed that Tariq bends his arm, violating ICC rules regarding fair bowling. In the latest events, Pakistan hosted Australia, where Cameron Green accused Tariq of chucking and made gestures on live TV.
The incident caught a lot of media attention, and there were cries that the ICC should intervene and put a ban on the Pakistan spinner.
Salman Agha jumps to Usman Tariq’s defence
In the latest events, Agha slammed Tariq critics and labelled Usman’s action as legal. Agha heaped praise on the spinner and rated him as Pakistan’s X-factor going into the T20 World Cup 2026.
There is no issue with Usman Tariq's actions. All that is left now is for Usman Tariq to write around his neck, "I am clear. I don’t understand why we are talking about his action because in my opinion it is a fair action. He has been tested twice, and he has been cleared. I think there is no problem in his action. Yes, he is the X factor of the team, and where we feel that we need an X factor, we will definitely use him,” Agha Salman told reporters.
Usman Tariq reflects on his bowling action
Recently, Usman Tariq also broke silence on his action and stated that he has two elbows in his body.
“Unique action is liye hain kyun ki meri body dimensions bhi unique hain. Mere jo body frame hain, woh common person ki tarah nahin hain.” [My action is unique because my body dimensions are unique. My body frame is not like the common person’s]," remarked Tariq speaking to Wisden.
“Sabko lagta hain, ‘yaar, iska haat zara tedha wagairah jo kuchh bhi aa raha hain’” [everyone feels I bend my arms and all that], added Tariq. “Bended arm hain, to actually biological issue hain.” [My bent arm is a biological issue]," he added.
Tariq has also found support from former India umpire Anil Chaudhary, who has turned into a content creator. Anil analysed Tariq's action and found it to be completely normal. Further, Cameron Green too issued apology for his gestures in the 1st T20I vs Pakistan.
