World Cup T20: Salman Ali Agha press conference ahead of India vs Pakistan
Tariq’s bowling action was at the center of debate even before the start of the T20 World Cup.The 28-year-old had an extensive net session on Friday, bowling almost every Pakistani batsman for almost two hours.On Saturday, Agha was again questioned about Tariq’s act. He replied: “All players are equal in my eyes. You are the ones who have focused on Usman Tariq and made him a big topic. It is obvious that he has been bowling quite well for the past few months. He played league cricket before the Pakistan national team where he also did well. You can say that he is a trump card for us.”When pressed on whether the bowler was feeling the heat, Agha said, “I don’t think he cares about all the talk about his act. People have been talking about his act ever since he started playing cricket.”The Pakistan captain is not wrong. Tariq’s journey to top cricket was not a smooth one. In the last two seasons, he has been flagged twice for suspect bowling action during the premier domestic T20 tournament, the Pakistan Super League (PSL). On both occasions, he was released after trials at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore.“He jokes about it,” Usman’s cousin Haseeb ur Rehman told TimesofIndia.com earlier this month.“He says he doesn’t care. He smiles sarcastically and says people don’t know he has passed the ICC test twice. ‘Jitni nafrat faila rahe, main utna mashoor ho raha hoon’ (The more hate he spreads, the more famous I become).”The third question to Usman Tariq seemed to make Agha, usually a calm and composed man, lose his cool.He looked at Pakistan’s media manager, took a deep breath and said, “The guy has been cleared twice and has done everything the ICC has asked him to do to play international cricket. I don’t know why people are saying so many things about him, but I can assure you he is very used to it. He has been with him since he started playing international cricket.”
How to deal with Usman Tariq?
Tariq’s exaggerated pause in delivery made people more and more curious.Indian veteran R Ashwin has come up with an interesting idea in his YouTube show Ash Ki Baat.“There is one thing I want to see. Who dares?” Ashwin said, adding: “If Tariq stops before the delivery, the batsman has the right to walk away. The batsman can say, ‘I don’t know when the ball is coming, so I walked away’.”“That would be an interesting case and a huge headache for the judge,” he added. “The umpire will have to decide whether to caution the bowler or the batsman. Chances are, and that’s how cricket works, the bowler will be cautioned first.”“Imagine if that happened in such a big game,” Ashwin said. “Tariq has become a cynosure. He has to bowl 24 deliveries like that. If the batsmen start pulling back, imagine the pressure on him. He may have to change his action in the middle of the game. Pakistan’s trump card may suddenly become ineffective.”Meanwhile, former Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, who played with Tariq at Quetta Gladiators in the PSL, told The Associated Press: “Batters are struggling to read Tariq because of the long pause when he steps on the bowling wicket.“The pause disrupts their concentration and when he bowls a quick delivery after that delay, or even a slower delivery, it leaves the batsmen at a loss.What was once thought to be a clash of arch-rivals is now overshadowed by a unique subplot. As the February 15 match approaches, the conversation has definitely shifted away from all the drama that has played out between the two countries over the past few months, settling instead on the extended break and Usman Tariq’s unorthodox action, a detail that could end up defining the narrative of this marquee contest.