Former Pakistan batting all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez feels the buzz around their mystery spinner Usman Tariq is a psychological win for Salman Agha-led side over India ahead of their ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 clash on February 15. Hafeez feels that despite Tariq's limited experience in T20Is, the unorthodox spinner has created panic in the Indian camp as the batters are preparing for his action featuring a long pause.
"If we go inside the cricketing aspect, the hype created around Usman Tariq is another psychological victory for us. Right now, no one is talking about Babar Azam or any other player. People are talking only about Usman Tariq. He has played just one or two games for Pakistan, but just imagine the amount of panic he has created in the Indian camp. They are specifically practicing against him in their sessions," Hafeez said on Tampad.
"How many times have you seen so much discussion about just one player? The entire media, the hype, the world — they are not only thinking about the match result, but about what Usman Tariq will do tomorrow," added the 45-year-old.
Tariq bagged three wickets for 27 runs against the USA. From just four T20I appearances, he has 11 wickets at an average of 7.90. His economy rate of 5.93 is exceptional for the T20I format.
Hafeez wants an attacking Tariq
Despite Tariq’s impressive numbers, Hafeez has an advice for Pakistan captain. He wants Agha to introduce Tariq as an attacking opposition, giving him one over in the powerplay overs as well. He wants Agha to use the hype around Tariq even though the other spinners in the lineup have performed well too.
"Now I want to see how positively Salman Agha makes decisions as captain and how he uses Usman Tariq. If he uses him defensively, nothing will work for Pakistan. You need an attacking mindset when you use Usman Tariq. It could even be the sixth over, which I believe is always a very important over for a bowling unit — usually bowled by your most impactful bowler," said Hafeez.
"I want to see what planning they come up with regarding Usman Tariq, because if he is used in an attacking zone, I think he will be very impactful. I’m not saying that Abrar, Nawaz, or Shadab won’t make a difference, but right now, all the attention is on Usman Tariq.”
Meanwhile, Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav was seen bowling with a long pause to Rinku Singh in the nets. Suryakumar played down the buzz around the tall spinner who has troubled batters in the international arena in a short span of time.