The Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2026 produced another controversy in Friday's Quetta Gladiators vs Rawalpindi Pindiz fixture as New Zealand batter Daryl Mitchell raised objections to Usman Tariq's action walking away twice in the middle of an over while also pointing to the bowler's pause before release.
This happened during the ninth over of the fixture, as the ball had been dispatched for a paddle sweep by the New Zealand batter on the first ball by the right-arm bowler. Mitchell then seemed uncomfortable with the run-up by the bowler who stops and then lets the ball go as Tariq has a pause before he delivers.
Mitchell walked away twice as Tariq went down to deliver the ball and on both occasions signaled at the pause in the delivery. This prompted the umpires to intervene and talk to the batter after which the game continued.
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Tariq finished the over which included three singles in the first three balls but once again at the point of delivering the fourth ball Mitchell walked away at the very last moment. The umpire intervened to have a quick word with the batter following which play resumed.
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Link to Ashwin's Advice and Tariq's Past Scrutiny
Mitchell's response would appear to be on the lines of the advice given by Ravichandran Ashwin earlier this year during the T20 World Cup that batters can step away from a bowler who takes a bit longer in his run-up at which the umpires are compelled to call a dead ball and thus the bowler wouldn't get any advantage from breaking the batsman's stance.
Usman Tariq had been under scrutiny in the past for his quirky action that includes a run-up followed by a pause before delivering by going on his knees. The left-arm spinner had been reported for illegal action twice in the past but had been cleared on both occasions.
In the meantime, Quetta Gladiators comfortably won their match against Rawalpindi Pindiz. Mitchell couldn't have much of an impact with the bat as he was later caught and bowled by Saud Shakeel. Rawalpindi Pindiz lost the match by 61 runs in Karachi. This has led to further discussion on bowling action and how it can impact batsmen during a match.