Quetta Gladiators spinner Usman Tariq has been called twice for suspect action, but he will continue to bowl in the PSL for now.
What happened in PSL 2024?
Across five games in PSL 2024, his first season, Tariq sent down 19.3 overs for the Quetta Gladiators. He got only two wickets, but went for 7.33 an over. Yet, more than his performance, his bowling action drew the attention of the cricketing world.
Asif Yaqoob and Richard Illingworth, the on-field umpires for Quetta’s game against the Karachi Kings, reported Usman for a suspect bowling action to match referee Roshan Mahanama. However, Usman continued to play in the league after that.
In the period between the 2024 and 2025 editions of the PSL, Usman played his first two games in first-class cricket as well as his first three List A matches. He even took 5-62 on first-class debut to bowl Eshaal Associates to a 192-run win against the Higher Education Commission.
What happened in PSL 2025?
Usman returned to the PSL in 2025 to take 2-26 against the Peshawar Zalmi and 1-31 against the Lahore Qalandars. After the second match, on-field umpires Ahsan Raza and Chris Brown reported his action to referee Naeem Arshad.
“As per the rules, Usman can continue to bowl in future matches,” ran a PCB release. “However, if he is reported again, he will be suspended from bowling and will need to obtain clearance from an ICC accredited lab before he can resume bowling.”
What do the rules say?
Clause 21.2.3 of the PSL Playing Conditions states: “If a bowler is reported on his suspected bowling action in the event, 1st and final warning shall be issued. PSL Technical Committee shall communicate the matter to the respective board of the player. If the same bowler is reported for 2nd time on his suspected bowling action in the event, he shall be suspended from bowling until cleared by an accredited assessment center duly approved by PSL.”
Usman’s fate, thus, may depend on the interpretation of phrase “the event” in the Playing Conditions. While he has been reported twice in PSL history, his tally for PSL 2025 stands at one.
While the phrase is not explicitly defined in the Conditions, other occurrences of the phrase seem to hint at it being used to define a PSL season, not the PSL as a whole. Consider clause 16.12.1: “A team’s net run rate is calculated by deducting from the average runs per over scored by that team throughout the event, the average runs per over scored against that team throughout the season.”
Usman, thus, is almost certainly one warning away from being barred from bowling again in PSL 2025 (it is not clear whether he can bowl in PSL 2026 if he is suspended this season).
