New Delhi: Spin great R Ashwin has a simple suggestion for Indian batters as they gear up to deal with the unique side-arm action of Pakistan off-spinner Usman Tariq come Sunday — just move away when he pauses before delivering the ball.
The 30-year-old Tariq, whose stop-and-pause action has created quite a stir, has played four T20 Internationals and taken 11 wickets at an astonishing economy rate of less than six runs per over.
He could play a decisive role in Sunday’s T20 World Cup clash between the bitter foes on a slow Premadasa track.
“If he stops before delivering the ball, the batsman has the right to move away. He can say that ‘I thought he is stopping’. That will be an interesting case and a huge headache for the umpire,” Ashwin said on his Youtube channel ‘Ash Ki Baat’.
“If I was there I would have done it. One should do everything to win a game within rules. I would simply say I don’t know when he will release the ball, and I would step away. If I move away, it is the umpire’s responsibility.
“Imagine the pressure on Usman Tariq in the middle of the match. It would be an incredible joyride. He is the ace up their sleeves. imagine what he becomes if the batsman reacts like that,” he added.
Tariq’s unique action has divided the cricket world, but Ashwin had earlier supported him.
Pakistan are using Tariq sparingly. He has become the talk of the cricketing universe with former England skipper Kevin Pietersen terming his stop-and-pause action illegal.
Ashwin called for real time competition testing tool to check if his side-arm action falls within the permissible 15 degree limit as per ICC’s rulebook. The rule allows 15 degree straightening of the elbow joint for all bowlers in international cricket.
“…there is a 15 degree rule under which a bowler needs to keep his elbow and straighten it and to judge if a bowler is bowling within that 15 degree 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 to accuse someone for utilising the grey area is wrong.”
Orissa POST – Odisha’s No.1 English Daily
