Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha has questioned the “fuss” and scrutiny around mystery spinner Usman Tariq’s bowling action ahead of the marquee India versus Pakistan clash at the T20 World Cup 2026. The match is scheduled to be played on February 15 in Colombo.
Agha said that he could not make sense of the noise around the spinner’s pause-and-deliver action, stating that he had been cleared by the International Cricket Council (ICC) twice, which should end all questions over the legality of his action.
“The ICC has tested him and cleared him twice. I don’t know what the fuss is all about,” Agha said ahead of the February 15 showdown. “Anyway, he doesn’t get bothered much by all this because, ever since he started playing, people have been talking about his action, so he is used to it,” he added.
Asked whether Tariq will be Pakistan’s trump card against India, Agha stated that he sees things differently, stressing that each member in the XI is “equal”. The Pakistan skipper, however, did admit that Tariq has been delivering the goods for the team.
“For us, every player is equal. You guys have made Usman Tariq this big. He has been bowling well. You can call him our trump card if you’d like,” he added.
With spin expected to have a prominent say at Colombo’s R. Premadasa Stadium, Pakistan have a wide variety of tweakers to choose from. They have the left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz, wrist-spinner Abrar Ahmed, leg-spinner Shadab Khan and an off-spin option in Saim Ayub, in addition to Tariq’s mystery spin.
India are not behind in spin pedigree in their arsenal, with mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy, left-arm spinner Axar Patel, and wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav set to be in action in Colombo. India also have the off-spinning all-rounder Washington Sundar in their squad.
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