Ravichandran Ashwin explains whether the pause in the bowling action of Usman Tariq is problematic.
Pakistan beat USA by 32 runs in their second match of the T20 World Cup 2026. But after the game, most of the talk was about spinner Usman Tariq, who again faced questions over the pause in his bowling action.
Former RCB cricketer Sreevats Goswami raised concerns over the issue. He compared it to football, pointing out that players are not allowed to pause during a penalty run up.
“Even football doesn’t allow players to pause during a penalty run-up anymore. How is this ok? Action — all good. But pause? That too while loading to deliver. This can’t be continued seriously,” Goswami wrote on X.
Responding to these remarks, former India cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin came out in support of the Pakistan spinner, who has already been cleared by the ICC. Ashwin argued that batters are allowed to switch hit or play the reverse without informing the umpire or the bowler, even after taking their initial stance.
“Agree football doesn’t allow it! While the batter can switch-hit or reverse without informing the umpire or bowler, after committing to bat on one side, why are the restrictions only limited to the bowler. In fact, the bowler isn’t allowed to change the arm with which he/she bowls without informing the umpire. They should first change that rule,” Ashwin responded on X.
This is not the first time Tariq has faced questions over his action. Earlier this month, during the Pakistan home series against Australia, Cameron Green appeared to mock his bowling action. Before that, Tom Banton had also raised concerns during the Pakistan Super League PSL 2025. Despite these repeated questions, Tariq was cleared twice by the ICC last year, and his action is still legal under the current rules.
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Usman Tariq was the best bowler for Pakistan in the match against USA. He took three wickets and gave away only 27 runs in his four over spell. He has made an impressive start to his international career, taking 11 wickets in four matches at an economy rate of 5.93, which is excellent in T20 cricket.
He has taken at least one wicket in 23 consecutive T20 innings, which is a record for a Pakistan bowler. The world record is 27 consecutive innings by Lasith Malinga. In his last 23 T20 innings, Tariq has taken 49 wickets.
His next match will be against India on February 15 at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, which is expected to be the toughest test of his career.
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