- By Namrata Vijay
- Wed, 11 Feb 2026 03:33 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
PAK vs USA T20 World Cup 2026: Pakistan won their second match of the ongoing mega event and have become the table toppers of Group A. They scored a mammoth knock of 190 runs on the back of Sahibzada Farhaan’s fifty against the USA as Usman Tariq took three wickets.
Tariq was slammed yesterday owing to his bowling action again as he was accused of chucking, which was thrown around after the spinner removed the American trio of Milind Kumar, Harmeet Singh, and Mohammad Mohsin. This, however, isn’t the first time he has come under scrutiny for his actions, as he had been reported twice during the PSL and was eventually cleared on both occasions.
Tariq revealed that he has two elbows in his arm, double-joint elbows, and defended his action, stating that his bent arm is a biological issue.
“I have two elbows in my arms. My arm bends naturally. I have got this tested and cleared. Everyone feels I bend my arms and all that. My bent arm is a biological issue," he said.
Further scrutiny was aimed at Tariq’s pause before releasing the ball after his run-up, with former Indian cricketer Shreevats Goswami questioning him.
“Even football doesn’t allow players to pause during a penalty run-up anymore. How is this ok? Action – all good. But pause? That too while loading to deliver. This can’t be continued seriously!"
ALSO READ: Pause, Chuck Or Legal: R Ashwin, Aakash Chopra React To Usman Tariq's Bowling Action Controversy
However, legendary Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin defended the Pakistani bowler, bringing up the restrictions placed on a bowler, while batters enjoy open season.
“While the batter can be allowed to switch hit or reverse without informing the umpire or bowler, after him/her commits to start batting on one side, why are the restrictions limited only to the bowler?"
“In fact, the bowler isn’t allowed to change the arm with which he/she bowls without informing the umpire! They should first change that rule," Ashwin opined.
Tariq also credits the biopic about the legendary MS Dhoni: The Untold Story for his dive into cricket, as his cousin Haseeb Ur Rahman recalled the spinner being moved by the iconic Indian skipper taking the plunge into his cricketing journey during a crossroads moment, as he hopped onto the train back home to resume his trail in the sport, something that struck a chord with the spinner, who returned to the cricket fold citing his situation was a similar one.
Tariq joined an academy in Nowshera and caught the fancies of the cricket-loving nation on the back of his showings as a net bowler to Iftikhar Ahmed. And it has been up-and-up for the spinner ever since, despite the brief hiccups that he has had to confront.