Australian batter Usman Khawaja has come out strongly in support of Pakistan spinner Usman Tariq after the bowler was once again subjected to 'chucking' allegations during the ongoing T20I series against Australia.

Khawan used an opinion from cricket journalist Paul Dennett to express his deep sympathy for Tariq because he believed that the criticism directed at Tariq was both unfair and harmful to him. "There aren't many things worse than being called a 'chucker' in cricket," Khawaja wrote on social media. "The stigma is real. The man is just doing his best and has been cleared twice. We should maintain proper perspective while understanding the situation instead of making immediate judgments about it.

Green’s gesture sparks backlash as Pakistan defend Tariq’s cleared bowling action

The controversy began during the second T20I at Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium where Pakistan achieved a 90-run victory over Australia to establish an unassailable 2-0 series lead. The public reacted negatively when Cameron Green of Australia copied Tariqs throwing motion after Tariq dismissed him during the run chase.

🚨 USMAN KHAWAJA INSTAGRAM STORY ON USMAN TARIQ pic.twitter.com/pDekGQJnMg

— usman (@cricbyusman) February 2, 2026

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Tariq played his third T20I match and achieved bowling statistics of 2 wickets which he took for 16 runs during 2.4 overs before he later dismissed Matthew Kuhnemann and Australia suffered a collapse that led to 108 runs. No evidence exists to show that Australian players or match officials filed a formal complaint about his throwing style.

The behavior of Green was disapproved by Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha who stated that only umpires and match referees possess the right to evaluate bowling techniques. The unorthodox bowling style that Tariq uses results from his physical condition according to him because he has a naturally bent double-jointed elbow. He has passed two biomechanical assessments at Lahore's National Cricket Academy which confirmed his fitness to play during both tests and Pakistan Super League matches.

Tariq continues to be part of Pakistan's ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 squad despite the ongoing situation because Pakistan has decided to boycott their match against India. Tariq needs to perform well at the World Cup to prove his abilities because senior players like Khawaja support him while people watch his progression.

The Pakistan spinner, Usman Tariq, has mocked the Australia all-rounder, Cameron Green, in a social media post after the latter appeared to accuse the spinner of chucking during the second T20I at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. The hosts sealed a crushing 90-run win after the visitors got rolled for 108 runs in 15.4 overs, with all ten wickets falling to spin. 

During the 11th over of the run chase, Green miscued a wide delivery from Usman Tariq towards the point region, dismissed for 35 runs to leave the Australians in trouble at 6/76. Upon returning to the dugout, the right-handed batter mimicked a baseball throw, which seemed to be accusing the Pakistan spinner of chucking.

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Tariq, on the next morning, appeared to poke fun at Green by uploading footage of a crying child to Instagram, captioning the post with ‘after getting out’ alongside a laughing emoji. Tariq’s bowling action is unorthodox. After pausing at the point of delivery, coming to a halt, he produces the off-breaks with a slinging action and pronounces a bend in his arm.

Usman Tariq reacts to Cameron Green on Insta post 

Under the regulation of the ICC, a bowling action is called illegal if a player’s elbow extends by more than 15 degrees during the delivery stride, which starts from the point where the bowling arm reaches horizontal until the ball is released. Any natural elbow hypertension is discounted when it’s being assessed for legality.

Usman Tariq's Instagram story. 😂 pic.twitter.com/F0ICAYvcE9

— Sheri. (@CallMeSheri1_) February 1, 2026

Tariq has twice been reported for a suspected illegal action while being part of the Quetta Gladiators during the 2024 and 2025 seasons of the Pakistan Super League (PSL). On the very first occasion, he was reported by the umpires, Asif Yaqoob, and later by Richard Illingworth, while last year, he was cited by the match officials, Ahsan Raza and Chris Brown.

“I do have two elbows in my arm. My arm bends naturally. I have got this tested and cleared. Everyone feels I bend my arms and all that. My bent arm is a biological issue.” Tariq expressed his opinion on his bowling action.

Brief Scores: Pakistan 198/5 (Salman Agha 76, Usman Khan 53, Adam Zampa 1/27) beat Australia 108 (Cameron Green 35, Abrar Ahmed 3/14) by 90 runs.

There are so many calls of the Pakistan off-spinner, Usman Tariq, chucking, and during the second T20I of the three-match series against Australia, the latter’s all-rounder, Cameron Green, complained of that after he got dismissed for 35 runs in 20 balls at a strike rate of 175, with the help of one boundary and a couple of sixes.

The Incident took place on the fifth delivery of the 11th over during the second innings when Tariq paused and went for a fullish delivery with a low release-action as Cameron Green shaped to go over the mid of our extra cover region and ended up slicing it in the air of the outer edge.

See Also: Watch: Abhishek Sharma flicks Kyle Jamieson for massive six during IND vs NZ 5th T20I

The ball only went sky high in the air before Sadaq Khan settled himself and grabbed a simple catch at backward point. While going back to the dressing room, the Australian batter copied the bowling action of Tariq to their dressing room, where he used his hand to show that the spinner was perhaps chucking the delivery, which is against the ICC’s rule book.

Cameron Green unhappy with Usman Tariq's chucking in Lahore T20I vs Pakistan 

Earlier in the game, Pakistan posted a massive score of 198 for the loss of five wickets in their allotted 20 overs as their captain, Salman Ali Agha, smashed a strong knock of 76 runs in 40 balls, with the help of eight boundaries and four sixes at a strike rate of 190.

Watch the video here: 

Cameron Green crying over the bowling action of Usman Tariq. 🤣

- The so called most expensive player of IPL.

pic.twitter.com/1B3vdMmxSU

— Salman. (@TsMeSalman) January 31, 2026

Pakistan suffered a brief setback when former captain Babar Azam was dismissed for just 2 runs at number four. However, wicketkeeper-batter Usman Khan stabilized the innings with a fluent 53 off 36 balls, maintaining a strike rate of nearly 150 with four fours and two sixes.

In reply, Australia vs Pakistan turned one-sided as the visitors were bowled out for 108 in 15.4 overs, crashing to a 90-run defeat. Cameron Green ended as Australia’s top scorer, while Pakistan’s bowling attack dominated the contest. Usman Tariq claimed 2 wickets for 16 runs, and Abrar Ahmed produced an impressive spell of 3/14, sealing a comprehensive win.

While walking back to the pavilion, Cameron Green was seen mimicking Usman Tariq’s bowling action towards the Australian dressing room, gesturing with his arm to suggest a possible illegal bowling action, an offence prohibited under the International Cricket Council laws.

Brief Scorecard:
Pakistan 198/5 (Salman Ali Agha 76, Usman Khan 53, Adam Zampa 1/27)
Australia 108 (Cameron Green 35, Abrar Ahmed 3/14)
Pakistan won by 90 runs

Frequently Asked Question

1. What was Cameron Green’s complaint in the PAK vs AUS 2nd T20I?

Cameron Green gestured that Usman Tariq may have been chucking after getting out during the match in Lahore.

2. When did the chucking incident occur?

The incident happened in the 11th over of Australia’s innings, moments after Green’s dismissal.

3. Is chucking allowed under cricket rules?

No. As per International Cricket Council rules, illegal elbow extension during delivery is not permitted.

4. How did Cameron Green perform in the match?

Green top-scored for Australia with 35 off 20 balls, but the team was bowled out for 108.

5. What was the result of the PAK vs AUS 2nd T20I?

Pakistan won convincingly, scoring 198/5 and defeating Australia by 90 runs.

The Pakistan spinner, Usman Tariq, who has featured in two T20Is for the national side in the shortest format, has picked up six wickets at an average of 7.33 and a strike rate of eight with an economy rate of under six. However, he is under suspicion of bowling with an illegal action during the 2025/26 season of the International League T20 (ILT20) for the first qualifier.

The game took place between Desert Vipers and MI Emirates at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, where the reports claimed that Tariq perhaps bowled with an illegal action to the MI captain, Kieron Pollard, who, after smashing a six against the spinner, was dismissed on the very next delivery.

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Vipers, batting first, posted a decent score of 233/1 in their allotted 20 overs of the first innings with Fakhar Zaman nailing a strong knock of 69 runs in 50 balls with the help of five boundaries and a couple of sixes at a strike rate of 138.

Usman Tariq bowls to Kieron Pollard with illegal bowling action

Meanwhile, the wicket-keeper batter, Andries Gous, clubbed an unbeaten knock of 120 runs in 58 balls at a strike rate of 206.90, shouldering on seven boundaries and nine sixes along with Vipers’ captain, Sam Curran, who drilled an undefeated knock of 38 runs in just 12 balls with the help of two fours and four sixes at a strike rate of 316.67.

Watch the video here: 

Third time’s the charm! 🤩
Usman Tariq gets Pollard instantly after getting hit for a six! ⚡#DPWorldILT20 #AllInForCricket #WhereTheWorldPlays pic.twitter.com/ij8Jm7MLRs

— International League T20 (@ILT20Official) December 30, 2025

MI Emirates could only make their way to 188 runs in 20 overs for the lose of seven wickets as Tom Banton, at number three, recorded a fine knock of 63 runs in only 27 balls at a strike rate of 233.33 with the help of six boundaries and four sixes while Romario Shepherd tried his best with undefeated 39 runs in 23 balls at a strike rate of 169.57.

Tariq has been reported for the illegal action heading into the final of the ILT20 on January 04, 2026. He was previously questioned for the same reason. It will be interesting to see how things unfold.

Brief Scores: Desert Vipers 233/1 (Andries Gous 120*, Fakhar Zaman 69, Allah Ghazanfar 1/37) beat MI Emirates 188/7 (Tom Banton 63, Muhammad Waseem 41, Usman Tariq 3/33) by 45 runs. 

Pakistan’s mystery spinner, Usman Tariq, has revealed how he made a remarkable return to the game after being inspired by the biopic of the former World Cup-winning captain of the Indian side, MS Dhoni, which reignited his passion for the sport after being away from the game for several years. 

The 27-year-old spinner, Usman Tariq, has earned his maiden call-up to the squad for the three-match T20I series against South Africa at home. He left a stable job in Dubai to give his cricketing dream one last shot. In 36 T20S, the right-arm spinner has picked up 54 wickets at an average of 18.07 and a strike rate of 15.70 with an economy rate of under seven, thanks to three four-wicket hauls at the best figures of 4/17.

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“I left the game after I did not get selected, and I was working as a salesman in a purchasing company in Dubai. Then I watched MS Dhoni: The Untold Story, and it inspired me a lot. I left the job and came back to Pakistan to pursue cricket again.” Tariq expressed during a recent interaction on Telecom Asia Sport.

Pakistan’s Usman Tariq takes inspiration from MS Dhoni’s biopic- The Untold Story

Tariq was excellent for the Trinbago Knight Riders during the 2025 season of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL). He bagged 20 wickets in 10 innings at an average of under 14 and a strike rate of 11.4 with an economy rate of 7.31, thanks to a couple of four-wicket hauls at the best figures of 4/33 in an inning. He finished only behind Imran Tahir in the list.

“I was born with a unique right elbow that has two corners. I just want to play for Pakistan and perform. It took a long time to reach here, but every setback has made me stronger.” Tariq added in the discussion.

The spinner has a unique action that has caught plenty of attention and controversy. He comes and pauses dramatically in his delivery stride before completing the halt and hurling the ball with a side-arm flick movement like the veteran spinner, Ravichandran Ashwin. In the opening T20I in Rawalpindi, he didn't get chance to feature against the Proteas. 

Quetta Gladiators faced a double blow in Match 4 of PSL 2025, suffering a crushing 79-run defeat to Lahore Qalandars at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Sunday. The matter worsened with the suspect's action report issued by umpires Ahsan Raza and Chris Brown to their young spinner, Usman Tariq. The 24-year-old athlete continues to bowl unless there is another report that requires him to seek ICC-accredited lab approval before returning to play.

Quetta's performance has brightened this season, thanks to Tariq, who secured 3 wickets across 2 matches with an average of 19.00 and an economy rate of 7.12. Sikandar Raza was his first dismissal against Lahore, and Tariq completed the fourth over with one wicket taken at 31 runs. His formerly pristine bowling statistics face evaluation because other authorities have questioned his actions. Future success in his campaign depends on clearing another check on his technique since a second report could end his upcoming opportunity.

Lahore Qalandars ruled the match with 219 runs from their bat while Fakhar Zaman hit a graceful 67 alongside Sam Billings's unstoppable 50* from 19 balls before Abdullah Shafique and Daryl Mitchell contributed additional runs. The run chase of 140 by Quetta Gladiators ended in 16.2 overs, even with Rilee Rossouw's 44-run innings. The trio of Rishad Hossain, Shaheen Afridi, and Sikandar Raza, together with Asif Afridi, propelled Lahore Qalandars to victory with their combined four-wicket haul.

Watch the video of his bowling action

Usman Tariq performances goes under the radar and least discussed. He is the most economical spinner in the circuit. Every dot ball is the piece of gold in T20 cricket. He is still the most difficult to pick and hit in the format.#QGvLQ pic.twitter.com/ngQt9WLfGs

— Ahmer Najeeb Satti (@AhmerNajeeb) April 14, 2025

Also Read: PSL 2025: KAR vs LAH Match 6 - A Head to Head breakdown

Tariq’s Road Ahead

According to the regulations, Usman is permitted to continue bowling in upcoming PSL matches. However, if his action is reported once more, he will face an immediate suspension from bowling and must undergo a reassessment at an ICC-accredited laboratory to gain clearance before returning to play. Usman was initially reported for a suspect bowling action in March 2024 during the previous edition of the Pakistan Super League. It happened three matches into the tournament, but within five days, he was cleared to bowl again after undergoing evaluation at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore.

His bowling style differs from the conventional technique typically used by off-spinners. Notably, he includes a brief pause in his action before releasing the ball and delivers his off-breaks with a distinctive side-arm motion.