Pakistan leg-spin\/left-arm spinner Usman Tariq\u2019s \u201cpause and deliver\u201d style has once again ignited debate in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), with Daryl Mitchell becoming the latest batter to step away from facing him twice in a row. The New Zealand batter\u2019s choice drew support from India\u2019s former star Ravichandran Ashwin, who said Mitchell\u2019s bold response was justified. In the middle of the noise, Tariq has now pushed for a \u201cpenalty\u201d to be considered when batters deliberately interfere with a bowler\u2019s rhythm.<\/p>\n
The episode unfolded on Friday during a PSL match at Lahore, where Mitchell was batting for Rawalpindi while the team chased 183 against Quetta Gladiators. Usman Tariq was introduced when Rawalpindi were 54 for three. After his first three deliveries were dispatched for singles, Mitchell lifted his hand and left his crease just as Tariq was pausing in his action. He repeated the same tactic on the next ball, stepping away again as the bowler came into his release phase, a move that left the Gladiators visibly frustrated.<\/p>\n
Before the situation could escalate further, wicketkeeper Khawaja Nafay was seen exchanging words with Mitchell. Umpire Sharfuddoula then stepped in to speak with the batter, bringing the moment under control.<\/p>\n
Earlier in the year, when a similar controversy over Tariq\u2019s action surfaced during the T20 World Cup, Ashwin had urged batters to step away if a bowler paused mid-delivery. His argument was that such a response would shift pressure onto match officials to manage the timing of the pause, while also forcing the bowler to deal with the consequences of an inconsistent approach.<\/p>\n
Mitchell\u2019s actions appeared to align with that idea, and Ashwin publicly backed the New Zealand batter. \u201cNow it\u2019s up to the umpires and match referees to time the pause for his delivery. If the pause isn\u2019t consistent, then the batter has every right to move away,\u201d Ashwin wrote on X.<\/p>\n
In this PSL match, the officials ultimately sided with Tariq. The umpire found nothing wrong with his action, ruling that the pause was part of his natural rhythm. Tariq then continued undeterred, finishing with two wickets in an economical spell of 2 for 23 across four overs. Quetta went on to win by 61 runs.<\/p>\n
A day after Ashwin\u2019s post, Tariq took to Instagram to argue that penalties should be applied if a batter \u201cdeliberately\u201d distracts the bowler or wastes time. He said that if a batter does it repeatedly with the intention of disrupting the bowler, it could be treated as unfair play, adding that umpires should first warn the batter and then escalate to a penalty if the behaviour continues. Tariq specifically noted that penalties typically amount to five runs for the fielding side.<\/p>\n
He wrote: \u201cUnsporting conduct (foul play): If the batter does this continuously to deliberately distract the bowler or waste time, it can be deemed unfair play. The umpire has the discretion to warn the batter, and if it continues, issue a penalty \u2014 usually five penalty runs to the fielding side. Happy to hear five penalty runs. Keep it up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Usman Tariq is next scheduled to take the field on April 15 against Peshawar Zalmi in Karachi.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Pakistan leg-spin\/left-arm spinner Usman Tariq\u2019s \u201cpause and deliver\u201d style has once again ignited debate in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), with Daryl Mitchell becoming the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":2116,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"Usman Tariq vs Daryl Mitchell: Ashwin on PSL penalty","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Usman Tariq vs Daryl Mitchell: Ashwin backs Mitchell after PSL penalty debate, as controversy grows over batters stepping away from facing him twice.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2117","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"\n