Pakistan mystery spinner Usman Tariq has said he is willing to undergo testing again if his bowling action is questioned during his white-ball stints in Birmingham.
Usman Tariq prepared to face bowling tests if action is questioned in England
The Pakistan mystery spinner, who has signed for Warwickshire Bears in the T20 Blast and Birmingham Phoenix in the Hundred, was reported for a suspect action during the PSL in 2024 and again in April 2025. After the second report, which came during a PSL match between Quetta Gladiators and Lahore Qalandars, he underwent testing in Lahore and was cleared.
However, that did not stop the cricketing world from questioning his action, with Cameron Green recently appearing to make a throwing gesture after being dismissed by Tariq in a T20I against Pakistan. He later apologised for the gesture.
Tariq, however, has maintained that the visual unusualness of his action is linked to the structure of his right arm. Speaking to the Guardian before his first T20 Blast season, he said he was born with a split elbow joint, which means he cannot fully straighten the arm. The report noted that this creates an illusion similar to accusations once directed at Muttiah Muralitharan.
Tariq said he had been warned that umpires in England could examine his action closely. “I said ‘no, I want to face it. Let’s see what happens. If they feel that I’m having any issue with my action, I’m ready to go to the [testing] lab.’”
He added: “I have been tested two times. It has been cleared within one week. No one told me that you’re having some degrees [of flex] which are making you illegal.”
Tariq, who is also in the news for his long pause between his run-up and delivering the ball, made his international debut for Pakistan last November. He has played nine matches for the team, picking up 18 scalps at 11.16.
He is expected to make his first appearance for Warwickshire against Gloucestershire as the T20 Blast begins.
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