In the fast-paced world of T20 cricket, where speed weapons and UltraEdge technology seem to dictate reality, Pakistan’s latest sensation, Usman Tariq, is asking fans and officials to look beyond what they think they see and trust the science. While his stuttering delivery still confounded some of the world’s best batsmen, Tariq offered a defense that is part sports psychology and part theoretical physics: he doesn’t stop, he just moves at a different speed than everyone else.
Tariq has emerged as the breakthrough enigma of Pakistan’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaign, providing the kind of mid-innings grip that has long been a hallmark of the Men in Green’s bowling attack. However, he came with goals a flurry of scrutiny over his unusual delivery stridea movement that appears to contain a distinct frozen pause just before release.
Speaking to TV stations ahead of Pakistan’s Super 8 match against New Zealand in Colombo, Tariq explained his bowling action with a bit of relativity thrown in for good measure.
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It’s a defense that sounds like it’s straight out of a physics textbook. While referee a frustrated batsmen believe they are witnessing a complete standstill which disrupts the rhythm of the game, Tariq insists that the engine is still running, just in a lower gear.
“I wouldn’t say I’m stopping. If you watch my action in slow motion, you’ll see that I’m still moving, but I’m moving slowly,” Tariq said on Saturday, February 21.
“What I try to do is break down fractions of my bowling action and control the pace of my movement. That’s how it works for me. It’s been there from the beginning and it works really well for me now.”
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The debate over Tariq’s legality has divided the cricket fraternity, with critics and defenders interpreting the laws in different ways. Former India goalkeeper Shreevats Goswami fueled the debate by likening the break to taking a football penalty and argued that such a break in “continuity” should not be allowed. However, Ravichandran Ashwin countered that if the batsmen are allowed to hit without warning, the bowlers should have their own quirks.
Meanwhile, Sunil Gavaskar and former international umpire Anil Chaudhary publicly endorsed the action. Gavaskar dismissed the criticism by stating that “there is no law against stopping a bowler”, while Chaudhary confirmed that as long as the release is consistent and within the 15-degree limit, the delivery is perfectly legal. Screengrab by X
As for when Tariq first introduced hesitancy before the release, the answer dates back to when he was playing street cricket with a tennis ball in Pakistan.
The 28-year-old spinner revealed that his signature delay was a survival mechanism developed in tennis-ball cricket, where subtle changes of pace are often the only way to avoid being bowled over the neighbour’s fence.
“Yes, this action was there from the beginning. It developed when I was playing tennis ball cricket,” he said.
DID USMAN TARIQ SEE QUICK ENTRY?
The journey from the streets to the global stage was swift. Asked what he would have said seven years ago if he had been told he would be representing Pakistan at the World Cup, Tariq admitted that such a future would have seemed distant.
“Honestly, I was playing domestic cricket seven years ago and I don’t think I was as prepared as I am today. At that time I wouldn’t have imagined things the way they are now,” he said.
However, the results speak for themselves. Legends of the game lined up to praise his control and the discomfort he causes in the crease. For Tariq, the hype remains secondary to the joy of competing at the highest level.
“It’s a really special feeling to receive so much recognition from the legends and from all of you. I’m enjoying every moment – the performances, the atmosphere, everything. I’m looking forward to bring more energy and create more excitement,” he said.
Usman Tariq made his debut for Pakistan in 2025. Since then he has played six T20Is and taken 16 wickets. He took eight wickets in three matches at the T20 World Cup.
It was his performances in the 2025 Caribbean Premier League that first brought him into the limelight. Representing the Trinbago Knight Riders, he took 20 wickets in 10 matches, signaling the arrival of a bowler unafraid to bend perception – if not the laws of physics.
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Issued by:
Akshay Ramesh
Published on:
February 21, 2026
