England batter Jos Buttler has spoken about what it is like to face Pakistan’s mystery spinner Usman Tariq, calling the experience unique and explaining how he prepared before facing him.
During a recent interview, when asked what Tariq is like to bat against, Buttler said it is unique and interesting to watch someone bowl differently.
“It’s unique, it’s different and it’s interesting. It’s cool to see people bowl differently and try different stuff,” he said. He added that the buzz around Tariq was clear even before he faced him. “I know there are talking points and there’ll be lots of people in the crowd yesterday who are intrigued to see him bowl,” he said.
Buttler revealed he studied Tariq’s action closely before batting against him for the first time. “First time I faced him yesterday and I must admit that actually just before the game I sat with the analyst sort of going through his spell in the game before, how he bowled,” he said.
He added that watching slow-motion clips of Tariq’s bowling helped him prepare. “He was showing me some slow-mos of his action, he did have some slow-mo from front on from I think a previous competition or somewhere else. Actually quite helpful,” he revealed.
He also spoke about the mental challenge of facing a bowler with an unusual delivery style. “As a batter, sometimes against mystery spin, you create stuff that isn’t there anyway. That’s part of the allure of them,” he said.
Buttler explained that the uncertainty over Tariq’s pause and delivery can distract a batter if they let it. “You go in as a batter thinking, is it going to be this ball? Is it going to be this? How long is he going to pause for?” he said. He added that the key was to stay focused on the ball rather than the theatrics.
“Just play the ball. Just try and watch it. Don’t get caught up in the pause and sort of any histrionics. Just try and see the ball and play it,” he added.
Tariq, known for his stop-and-pitch bowling style, has faced repeated questions from opposing batters about the legality of his action.
While, speaking on the podcast Beard Before Wicket, Tariq said that batters should not be the ones questioning his bowling and that umpires are responsible for that job.
He referred to an incident during the ILT20 2026 Qualifier 1 in Abu Dhabi, where England’s Tom Banton gestured towards him after being dismissed. Tariq said he responded in that instance because Banton confronted him directly, though he generally avoids reacting to such moments.
Tariq said officials have already cleared his bowling action and explained that it results from natural hypermobility in his elbow.
Australia’s Tim David also questioned Tariq’s action after Tariq dismissed him in The Hundred recently.
