Usman Tariq has come down hard on batters who have questioned his action, saying it isn't their job but the umpires'.
Only umpires can question my action: Usman Tariq
On the Beard Before Wicket podcast, Tariq was asked about his reaction to the likes of Tom Banton and Cameron Green questioning his bowling action. Banton mimicked Tariq's action during the ILT20 Qualifier 1 clash between MI Emirates and Desert Vipers.
His action also came under the scanner twice in two seasons of the Pakistan Super League, but it was deemed legal after he underwent testing at PCB-accredited biomechanics lab in Lahore. Recently during The Hundred, Tim David also expressed his unhappiness with Tariq's action, but the Pakistan spinner is having none of it.
“It shows the kind of character that the player has," he said on the podcast, "pointing such things out, because you're not in that area where you're supposed to do this. I usually don't respond to such things, but Tom Banton did that in front of me, so I responded with some good words.”
Tariq reckons it's the officials' job to question his action, and professionals should concentrate on playing. “I felt like this is not your job, you're not the one who will pinpoint these things," he added. "On-field and off-field umpires are already there, and only they can come and question me [my action]. Being professional players, we should be intelligent and mature enough to understand the rules of the game. It's better to show the world that we are professionals rather than doing such negative stuff."
Usman Tariq is currently featuring in The Hundred for Birmingham Phoenix and has picked up two wickets so far in as many outings. He was also the highest wicket-taker for Warwickshire in the 2026 men's T20 Blast, with 16 wickets in 11 matches at an average of 16 and an economy of 6.09.
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