Pakistan’s mystery spinner Usman Tariq has pushed back against ongoing criticism of his unusual bowling action, saying that opposing players should focus on their own game instead of questioning his.
Tariq, known for his distinctive stop-and-pitch delivery style, has repeatedly found himself at the centre of debate, with several batters questioning whether his action falls within the laws of the game.
Speaking on the podcast Beard Before Wicket, Tariq revealed that England batter Tom Banton made a gesture towards him during a match that he felt crossed a line.
The incident took place in the ILT20 2026 Qualifier 1 in Abu Dhabi, where Banton was playing for Desert Vipers as a late replacement for Lockie Ferguson. After being dismissed by Tariq, the MI Emirates batter appeared to accuse him of throwing.
“I think like when Tom Banton straight away, on my face, he just did that gesture. So I felt like, this is not your job, you’re not the one who will go and pinpoint these things,” Tariq said.
“Two of the umpires are already there in the box, so they are the main people who are going to do these things, who are going to question me. So being a professional player, I think we should be way more mature enough, way more intelligent enough to have the knowledge that we are playing this game, so what are the rules for this game,” he added.
Tariq added that such moments reflect poorly on the players involved rather than on him.
“So it’s better to give a message to the world that we are professionals, so we are not having that kind of character to do such kind of negative stuff. And I felt at that time, like when you are doing these things, it shows what character you have. Because you’re not in that zone or in that area where you’re supposed to do this,” he said.
He also explained why he chose to respond in that particular instance, despite generally avoiding confrontation on the field.
“Whenever these things happen, honestly, I don’t respond to that. But Tom Banton was the one who did this in front of me. So I also went and responded to him with some good words,” he remarked.
Tariq maintains that his bowling action has already been cleared by officials and insists that any questions about its legality should be raised by umpires, not fellow players. He has previously said that his action stems from natural hypermobility in his elbow, with multiple biomechanical assessments confirming it falls within the ICC’s permitted limits.
He is not free from scrutiny. Tariq is currently playing for Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred 2026, where his action has once again drawn attention.
Australia’s Tim David questioned the legality of his delivery after being dismissed by him, gesturing towards the umpire and calling for a no-ball, though the decision stood.
