Usman Tariq reacts to Tim David questioning his bowling action wants 'umpires, match referee to do something'

Pakistan's mystery off-spinner Usman Tariq's bowling action has been under scrutiny throughout his career. Tariq's action has been cleared by the International Cricket Council (ICC) but batters often question his bowling action. The latest batter on the list is Australia’s Tim David who seemed to ask for a no-ball/review after getting out on Tariq’s The Hundred debut. The unorthodox spinner has led to Tariq saying that it is not the batters' job to make the call but umpire and match referees.

"It is not the batters job to do these things. The umpires and match referee is there to watch everything. If I am allowed to bowl by the umpire it means my bowling action is legal," Usman said in an interview as quoted by PTI.

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After being reported and cleared to bowl in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) a couple of times, Tariq has continued to face criticism. He recalled that England's Tom Banton had accused him of chucking in an ILT20 fixture. While he intends to let the ball do the talking, he also wants umpires and match referees to intervene.

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"Maybe the umpires and match referee need to do something. I remember even in the International T20 League in Dubai England's Tom Banton did the same thing, and at that time, I let him know my thoughts very clearly after getting him out,” he added.

Tariq had got support from India's legendary spinner Ravichandran Ashwin who often paused in delivery stride as well. However, Ashwin had also advised India batters to move away from their batting stance to disrupt his rhythm before their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 clash. The off-spinner could not make a significant impact in the game as India continued their winning streak against the arch-rivals.

Tariq’s The Hundred 2026 debut season so far

On his debut against Trent Rockets, Tariq claimed wickets of Finn Allen and David. He conceded 36 runs from 20 deliveries. Birmingham Phoenix ended up winning the high-scoring encounter by 10 runs. In his second appearance, he was taken to the cleaners. He couldn't take a wicket and conceded 29 runs from 15 balls. Manchester Super Giants beat Phoenix by 87 runs.

Tariq will be in action against Southern Brave at The Rose Bowl, Southampton, on July 30. Southern Brave have lost three games on the trot. They are placed seventh, just below Phoenix whose net run rate (NRR) is the worst in the season so far.