According to Agha, the ICC has tested Tariq in the past and cleared him twice, so he doesn't understand why there are still discussions about his bowling action. 

Pakistan will face India in their third Group A match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 on Sunday (February 15). The high-voltage match between the arch-rivals is scheduled to take place at R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. Both teams have won two matches each so far in the ongoing tournament, and the winner of Sunday’s contest will become the first team from Group A to qualify for the Super 8s.

In the build-up to the India-Pakistan match, Pakistan spinner Usman Tariq has made a lot of headlines in both India and Pakistan. While Pakistanis feel he will be their X-factor because of his mystery spin, in India, Tariq’s controversial bowling action has dominated headlines.

But on the eve of the big match in Colombo, Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha has come out in defence of Tariq. According to Agha, the ICC has tested Tariq in the past and cleared him twice, so he doesn’t understand why there are still discussions about his bowling action.

“The ICC has tested him and cleared him twice; I don’t know what the fuss is all about," Agha said during the pre-match press conference in Colombo on Saturday.

Agha said Tariq doesn’t get bothered much about the talks regarding his bowling action because he is used to it.

“Anyway, he doesn’t get bothered much with all this because ever since he started playing, people would talk about his actions, so he is used to it," Agha added.

Usman Tariq’s record in T20Is

30-year-old Usman Tariq has played four T20I matches so far for Pakistan’s men’s cricket team and picked up 11 wickets. He made his T20I debut against South Africa in Lahore on November 1, 2025, and finished with figures of 2 for 26 in four overs. In his second T20I match against Zimbabwe at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on November 23, 2025, Tariq accounted for the dismissal of four opposition batters.

He made his T20 World Cup debut for the Men in Green against the United States of America in Colombo (SSC) on February 10 and returned with figures of 3 for 27 in four overs.

Tariq has overall played 42 T20 matches so far and has 70 wickets to his credit. In his last 10 T20 matches, he has dismissed 25 batters.

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News cricket 'ICC Has Tested Him And...': Pakistan Skipper Defends Usman Tariq's Controversial Bowling Action

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