Salman Ali Agha calls Usman Tariq "trump card," says surrounding controversy doesn't affect the bowler ahead of India vs Pakistan clash

Colombo [Sri Lanka], February 14 (ANI): Pakistan cricket team captain Salman Ali Agha said Usman Tariq has been cleared by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and is unaffected by the ongoing discussions surrounding him, ahead of the much-anticipated India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup 226 clash on Sunday.
Usman, 28, has taken 11 wickets in four T20Is at an average of 7.90 with a four-fer to his name. However, he has come under scrutiny for a sidearm action in which he delivers the ball after a brief pause. This action has sparked significant debate about its legality, with many claiming that the Pakistani bowler is chucking or just throwing the ball.
In the T20 WC 2026, Usman Tariq featured in the match against USA, where he claimed bowling figures of 3/27 in 4 overs.
However, speaking in the pre-match press conference ahead of Sunday's clash against India, Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha said the bowler remains unaffected by the surrounding controversy, hailing him as a "trump card" for Pakistan.
"You all have made Usman Tariq a big name. For us, all 15 players are important. He has been bowling well. You can definitely say that he is a trump card for us. He has been cleared by the ICC, so I don't understand why everyone is discussing him. Usman doesn't get affected by these things. He is fine. He doesn't care about these things," Agha said.
Salman Ali Agha acknowledged Pakistan's poor record against India but emphasised that "every day is a new day" and past results cannot be changed.
Notably, both India and Pakistan have clashed eight times in the T20 World Cup history but have only managed to win just one game, with India holding a 7-1 advantage over the arch-rivals.
"Definitely, we do not have a good record against the Indians, but we can't change history, and every day is a new day."
The India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup 2026 clash is set to take place at Colombo's R Premadasa Stadium on Sunday.
Both India and Pakistan have played two matches each in the tournament so far. Both have registered victories in those games. While India will enter the contest on the back of wins against the United States of America and Namibia, Pakistan has defeated the Netherlands and USA.
While the Suryakumar Yadav-led India are placed on top of Group A standings with four points and the Net Run Rate (NRR) of +3.050, Pakistan are placed second with four points, too, and an NRR of +0.932. (ANI)