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RAWALPINDI: Pakistan off-spinner Usman Tariq has credited former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson for standing by him through the most challenging phase of his cricketing career.
Speaking in the post-match press conference, Usman shed light on his difficult time and stated that former Australian all-rounder Shan Watson gave him confidence.
“When the action call-up happened, it was the toughest phase of my career. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen, but my family stood firmly behind me — even offering to cover the expenses if I had to go to Dubai for the assessment,” he said.
“Shane Watson kept reassuring me, saying he had seen many players go through similar cases and that I didn’t need to panic. It was tough, but Alhamdulillah, everything is clear now,” Tariq revealed.
At the start of this year, Watson stepped down as the head coach of Quetta Gladiators. He was named as the coach of the franchise in 2024.
The 44-year-old remained instrumental to the team’s success, both as a player and coach, as he propelled the Gladiators into the playoffs for the first time in 2024 after four previous failed attempts.
For the unversed, Usman has been reported multiple times for his suspect bowling action. The last time his action was reported in the PSL 10 was during the Quetta Gladiators match against Lahore Qalandars.
The spinner, originally hailing from Nowshera, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), was reported by on-field umpires Ahsan Raza and Chris Brown.
As per PSL regulations, he continued bowling in future matches; however, if he were reported again, he would have to undergo clearance from an International Cricket Council (ICC) accredited lab before bowling again.
Notably, this was the second time that the spinner was reported during a PSL game. Earlier, he was reported in PSL 9 during his side’s clash against Karachi Kings.
A day earlier, Usman starred in Pakistan’s victory over Zimbabwe by a hefty margin of 69 runs.
The right-arm off-spinner, who was playing only in his second T20I, picked up a four-wicket haul, including a hat-trick. With this, he became the fourth Pakistani player to take a hat-trick in the limited-overs format.
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