Usman Tariq ready for increased scrutiny over his bowling action in England

Usman Tariq will spend his summer playing for Warwickshire County Cricket Club in the Vitality Blast and for Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred. This will be his first stint in England’s franchise circuit, where his unusual bowling action is expected to come under increased scrutiny.

Usman has already been reported for his bowling action twice. Although he cleared testing on both occasions, questions around his action have continued because of its unusual nature.

Usman ready to go to the lab

However, Usman has maintained that the uniqueness of his action is due to a split elbow condition he was born with. Speaking about concerns over stricter scrutiny in England, the mystery spinner said he was prepared to face any challenge regarding his action.

“I have faced so many naysayers,” said Tariq, speaking to the Guardfian after arriving at Edgbaston. “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. They’re really strict.’

“I said ‘no, I want to face it. Let’s see what happens. If they feel that I’m having any issue with my action, I’m ready to go to the [testing] lab.”

He added, “I have been tested two times. It has been cleared within one week. No one told me that you’re having some degrees [of flex] which are making you illegal.”

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