Pakistan spinner Usman Tariq’s much-debated bowling action is drawing attention across levels of cricket, with its distinct pause before release now being copied by younger players.
Tariq’s action, which includes a visible halt before delivering the ball, has already come under scrutiny, with indirect suggestions of chucking from Australia all-rounder Cameron Green.
The trend appeared to have reached school cricket as well, where a Sri Lankan bowler attempted a similar approach during a traditional inter-school match. The fixture, played annually since 1905, was in its 121st edition, Wisden reported.
Representing Richmond College, left-arm spinner Nethuja Basitha tried to replicate Tariq’s method but added his own variation. He paused in his run-up and jumped multiple times before delivering a full toss. However, the umpire immediately called it a dead ball.
Under Clause 41.4 of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) laws, which deals with a “deliberate attempt to distract a batter”, an umpire can call a dead ball if such an act is suspected.
The law states that if an umpire believes there has been such an attempt, “he/she shall immediately call and signal dead ball and inform the other umpire of the reason for the call. ”
The rule also allows for five penalty runs to be awarded to the batting side, though in this instance, the umpire chose to issue only a warning.
Since the pause was not part of Basitha’s regular action, it may have been seen as an attempt to distract the batter. In contrast, Tariq’s pause is considered part of his usual bowling action, which is why it may not fall under the same interpretation.
Tariq had attracted attention ahead of the T20 World Cup, including during the match against India, where he returned figures of 1/24. He later took 4/16 against Namibia and 2/31 against England, but went wicketless for 43 runs against Sri Lanka in the last Super 8 match.
