Usman Tariq, the Pakistan spinner with a distinctive bowling action, has been tested and cleared twice, mirroring the experience of Muttiah Muralitharan. Like the Sri Lankan legend, Tariq is unable to straighten his right arm, a condition that gives the illusion of throwing. Now, as he prepares for his first appearance in the T20 Blast for Warwickshire, he welcomes any questions about his action.
From Car Parts to Cricket
Tariq, 30, has signed for the Bears in the Blast, as well as Birmingham Phoenix in the Hundred, continuing a remarkable ascent. After spending his early twenties working for a car-parts company in Dubai, he watched a biopic of India's MS Dhoni and decided to abandon his job to pursue cricket. This gamble paid off: a debut in the Pakistan Super League in 2024 led to opportunities worldwide and nine T20 international caps for Pakistan.
Facing Scrutiny Head-On
Despite his success, Tariq has faced skepticism about his bowling action. He said: "I have faced so many naysayers. People around me used to tell me, 'Usman, in the UK you might get some tough times because it's really hard for you to go there and justify your action. The umpires, they will be quite harsh.' I said, 'No, I want to face it. Let's see what happens.' I watched a film about Muttiah Muralitharan, and he used to invite people to test him, to show he was not an illegal bowler. The same story goes with me."
Tariq has been tested twice, and both times his action was cleared within a week. He added: "No one told me that you're having some degrees [of flex] which are making you illegal."
A Unique Physical Condition
Tariq's unusual action stems from a congenital condition: he was born with a split elbow joint, which essentially gives him two elbows in one arm. This, combined with exceptionally long fingers, allows him to spin the ball hard. He has developed around six different deliveries, including a devastating carrom ball that breaks to leg. His release point varies, often employing a low-slung, side-arm action reminiscent of Sri Lanka's Lasith Malinga.
"I used to bowl the carrom ball from childhood," Tariq explained. "We lived in a small house in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and there was no space to rotate your arm. So we used to flick the ball around. I took that into tape-ball cricket and gradually learned all those other deliveries like the wrong 'un and the slider."
The T20 Blast Landscape
Tariq's first game for Warwickshire is against Gloucestershire on Friday as the T20 Blast begins. This season, the tournament has undergone changes: the men's Blast has reduced from 14 group games to 12, with two groups of nine becoming three groups of six. Teams now play two sides outside their group, leading to three fixtures in 2026 that have never occurred before: Yorkshire v Gloucestershire, Sussex v Leicestershire, and Worcestershire v Kent.
Another change is that the men's Blast now runs straight through to an earlier Finals Day at Edgbaston on 18 July, with the women's Blast running in parallel and its Finals Day at the Oval a day earlier. This restructuring aims to avoid the lengthy gap between group stages and knockouts that previously affected momentum and made it difficult to sign top overseas players.
Tariq is a prime example of an overseas player who can now move seamlessly from the Blast to the Hundred, even using the same home ground. Whatever the tournament, his unique skills will make him one to watch.
