Pakistan spinner Usman Tariq’s much-discussed bowling action is attracting attention at all levels of cricket, with his distinctive break before release now being emulated by younger players.Tariq’s action, which involves a clear stop before delivering the ball, has already come under scrutiny, with suggestions of indirect chucking from Australian all-rounder Cameron Greene.The trend seems to have reached school cricket too, where a Sri Lankan bowler attempted a similar feat during a traditional inter-school match. The match, played annually since 1905, was in its 121st edition, Wisden reported.Representing Richmond College, left-arm spinner Nethuja Basitha tried to copy Tariq’s method but added his own variation. He paused in his run-up and jumped several times before delivering a full toss. However, the umpire immediately declared it a dead ball.Under Article 41.4 of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) Laws, which deals with “deliberate attempt to distract a batsman”, the umpire can call a dead ball if such an act is suspected. The law states that if an umpire believes that such an attempt has been made, “he shall immediately call and indicate a dead ball and inform the other umpire of the reason for the call.”The rule also allows five penalty runs to be awarded to the batting side, although in this instance, the umpire chose to issue only a warning.Since the pause was not part of Basitha’s regular action, it can be seen as an attempt to distract the batsman. In contrast, Tariq’s pause is considered part of his normal bowling action, which does not fall under the same interpretation.Tariq had attracted attention before the T20 World Cup, including during the match against India, where he returned figures of 1/24. He later took 16/4 against Namibia and 2/31 against England, but fell short of a wicket for 43 against Sri Lanka in the final Super 8 match.
