Usman Tariq: Cleared, Yet Convicted Online
The current storm around Usman Tariq follows a familiar script. The 28-year-old off-spinner earned his place through performance: a hat-trick against Zimbabwe, a solid T20I debut, and consistency at franchise level. His action was reported twice during the PSL. Both times, ICC-accredited labs cleared him.
That should have ended the discussion.
It didn’t.
Ahead of a high-stakes Pakistan–India T20 World Cup narrative, the discourse mutated from technical scrutiny into outright abuse—“chucker” trending louder than match analysis. The irony is sharp: critics cite the 15-degree rule while ignoring that the rule has already been applied.
When Tariq responded bluntly—calling out ignorance masquerading as expertise—the backlash intensified. Not because of evidence, but because cricket discourse today is driven less by laws and more by leverage.
Selective Outrage, Predictable Targets
Bowling actions are questioned unevenly. Players from certain boards face endless suspicion; others receive benefit of doubt until failure becomes unavoidable. Comparable actions elsewhere are framed as “unorthodox.” In Pakistan, they are framed as “fraud.”
This is not new. It mirrors governance asymmetry across modern cricket.
A Pakistan vs India fixture is not just a match; it is the single most valuable broadcast asset in the sport. Advertising revenue, sponsorship inventory, and tournament valuation hinge on it. Scarcity is engineered. Neutral venues normalize. Hybrid models entrench. Power concentrates.
When money dictates calendars, it inevitably shapes enforcement intensity as well.
