Pakistan’s narrow but crucial win over the USA in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 pushed them to the top of Group A, with leg-spinner Usman Tariq emerging as one of the standout performers. Tariq finished with three key wickets in Colombo, delivering the kind of impact Pakistan desperately needed in a tightly contested group.
Yet, despite the on-field success, the post-match conversation quickly drifted away from the result and focused squarely on Tariq’s bowling action. As clips of his spell began circulating on social media, familiar “chucking” accusations resurfaced, sparking a fresh debate around the legality and aesthetics of his action.
This time, however, the discussion went beyond fan outrage and turned into a high-profile public exchange involving former India wicketkeeper Shreevats Goswami, off-spin legend Ravichandran Ashwin, and ex-India opener Aakash Chopra.
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Sreevats Goswami was the first to raise concerns, not about elbow extension, but about Tariq’s noticeable pause in his delivery stride. Drawing a comparison with football’s penalty run-up rules, Goswami questioned whether such a pause should be permitted in cricket, especially when a bowler is already loading to release the ball. His point struck a chord with fans who felt the pause offered an unfair advantage.
Even football doesn’t allow players to pause during a penalty run-up anymore.
How is this ok? Action – all good. But pause ? That too while loading to deliver. This can’t be continued seriously ! #WorldCup2026 pic.twitter.com/gIgsjV7RlX— Shreevats goswami (@shreevats1) February 10, 2026
Ashwin responded by agreeing with the football analogy but flipped the argument on its head. He highlighted how batters enjoy significant freedom — from switch-hits to reverse sweeps — without prior notification, while bowlers remain tightly regulated. Ashwin even questioned why bowlers are restricted from changing their bowling arm mid-over without informing the umpire, opening up a wider debate on whether cricket’s laws are skewed in favour of batters.
Agree football doesn’t allow it!
While the batter can be allowed to switch hit or reverse without informing the umpire or bowler, after him/her commits to start batting on one side, why are the restrictions only limited to the bowler?
In fact the bowler isn’t allowed to change… https://t.co/AOV4OKhwcL
— Ashwin 🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) February 11, 2026
I feel ‘pause’ is absolutely fine. But I do have a very specific bowling question—if there’s no momentum generated by the run-up, is it possible to increase your pace by 20-25kms on certain deliveries without bending the arm? https://t.co/hfVIAhPSBu
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) February 11, 2026
Chopra weighed in by backing Ashwin’s broader perspective, stating that the pause itself is well within the rules. However, he raised a technical point, questioning whether a bowler can genuinely generate sudden spikes in pace without bending the arm if there is little momentum from the run-up.
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It is worth noting that Usman Tariq has been cleared twice by the ICC, with his action found to be within the legal 15-degree elbow extension limit. He has also explained that his slightly bent arm is a natural, biological trait. Still, the animated exchange between Goswami, Ashwin and Chopra has ensured that Tariq’s action — fair or not — will remain under the microscope for the rest of the tournament.
