Colombo, February 11 Off-spinner Usman Tariq, with his unique stop-and-pause side-arm action, has already divided the cricket world, but India's great Ravichandran Ashwin strongly supported the new Pakistani recruit.
Tariq has played 4 T20Is and taken 11 wickets at an astonishing economy rate of less than six runs per over. Across all T20s, he has 70 wickets in just 42 games, which is phenomenal, and he could be a factor on the slow Premadasa track against aggressive Indian batters.
Pakistan is using him sparingly, as batters like Milind Kumar appear vulnerable, as Tariq consistently delivered with his unique action and a noticeable change in pace without a significant change in momentum.
With India playing Pakistan on Sunday in Colombo, Tariq has become the talk of the cricketing world, with former England captain Kevin Pietersen calling the stop-and-pause action illegal, while Ashwin has a different view.
"Okay, let me make it clear. Firstly, the legality of his action can only be tested at an ICC bowling action testing centre," Ashwin said on his 'X' handle.
Known for his astute technical knowledge, Ashwin called for a real-time competition testing tool to check if his side-arm action falls within the permissible 15-degree limit, as per the ICC's rulebook.
"Secondly, there is a 15-degree rule under which a bowler needs to keep his elbow bent and straighten it, and judging whether a bowler is bowling within that 15° mark by the on-field umpire is impossible. The only solution to that is having a real-time in competition testing tool. The above is a grey area, and accusing someone for utilising the grey area is wrong."
There may be a grey area, but Ashwin doesn't find it illegal that someone is leveraging it.
While there is a general refrain that Tariq waits for the batter to complete his trigger and reach the final position of executing the stroke, after which he delivers. But Ashwin feels that it is perfectly legal.
"Finally, if the pause at the crease is legal or not, and that's where I believe that it is entirely legal because that is his regular action," Ashwin said.
Former South Africa team performance analyst Prasanna Agoram, who has worked with top spinners like Imran Tahir, also felt that Tariq isn't a chucker.
"Technically speaking, Tariq is not chucking. His action was already cleared twice in the past. Even if he is called again, his action will come clean. I hope everyone can have a healthy discussion about a very special talent," Prasanna commented on 'X'.
Former India opener and commentator Aakash Chopra also didn't question the pause but he certainly had a query.
"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?," Chopra had a query for Ashwin on 'X'.
Former International umpire Anil Chaudhary felt that there is nothing wrong with Tariq's action.
"If you look at his action, it is slightly side-on and a bit different, and he bowls with a slight pause. However, since he delivers all his balls in the same manner, and in his arm there is no bending and straightening as per the guidelines, the action is absolutely fine," Anil said on his instagram page after Cameron Green was furious after getting dismissed during a recent T20I between Australia and Pakistan.
"It is different and he bowls with a pause, but he delivers all balls in the same way. In my opinion, his action is fair and this is a fair delivery," Chaudhary said.