Fast bowler Naseem Shah took a playful dig at Usman Tariq’s slow bowling action during a press conference at the Abu Dhabi T10, and the Pakistan spinner answered with a joke of his own.
Naseem, who plays for Royal Desert Champions, asked Tariq if he ever feels he should speed up.
“Mera sawal ye hai ke aap jab ball karate hain, tou batsman agar beech mein chai pee le ek cup, to koi masla nahi hoga uske liye- kabhi kabhi aapko lagta nahi hai ke yaar thoda jaldi bhi karana chahiye bechara, bas ho gayi hogi [My question is, when you bowl, a batter could almost have a cup of tea in the middle and it would not be a problem for him before the ball arrives. Don’t you sometimes feel you should hurry up a little, poor guy, he must have had enough],” Naseem said.
Tariq, who plays for United Tigers, stayed calm and said he wants batters to enjoy the contest.
“Main ye chahta hoon ke batsman jo hai na, wo sukoon se shot maare ya sukoon se khele to behtar hai, taake maza usko bhi aaye aur mujhe bhi aaye [I want the batter to play his shots and bat in peace, so that he enjoys it and I enjoy it too],” he replied.
Tariq, who plays for United Tigers, then said, “Khair hai, agar usko chai peeni hai ya kuch bhi peena hai, apne saath jeb mein leke aa jaye [So that’s fine, if he wants to drink tea or anything else, he can bring it with him in his pocket],” Tariq joked.
Tariq is a mystery off-spinner known for an unusual, stop-start bowling action. He stops in his stride right before release. During this pause, he watches the batter’s feet to read their intended shot and then delivers a counter-ball.
Tariq has started the Abu Dhabi T10 well. He took four wickets in two matches for the Tigers with an economy rate of 5.75, the best in the tournament after the opening weekend.
