Reminiscent of a Bollywood film, the mysterious spinner from Pakistan, Usman Tariq, has secured his great comeback to professional cricket. And this miracle was accomplished with the help of a biopic titled, ‘MS Dhoni: The Untold Story.’
Not many years ago, Tariq was a salesman in Dubai who completely lost hope in his cricket career after being unselected for domestic practices.
However, his fate changed completely after he watched the movie based on Dhoni’s life. The Indian legend’s journey from being a ticket collector to winning the World Cup with his captaincy reign reopened Tariq’s door to the game.
Usman Tariq’s comeback is all thanks to MS Dhoni
Usman Tariq, the Pakistan spinner, in a conversation with Telecom Asia Sport, stated that after he had seen ‘MS Dhoni: The Untold Story’ he went back to his village as it had kindled a fire in him.
“I was out of the game after non-selection and was making a living as a salesman of a purchasing company in Dubai. My going to see MS Dhoni: The Untold Story turned out to be a major source of inspiration. I quit my job, went back to Pakistan and started to sell my cricket again,” said Tariq.
Tariq’s risk in getting his career back and was heavily rewarded. The following year, he was shining at the CPL (Caribbean Premier League), taking 20 wickets and being the second-highest wicket-taker after the veteran Imran Tahir in the tournament.
His showings were good enough to earn him a first-time T20I squad call-up for the series against South Africa that is currently underway.
Tariq sheds light on his controversial bowling action
Usman Tariq’s unique story cannot be compared to anyone else’s. Besides, he has the bowl with his unconventional flying-action. His nose delivery, for instance, has a dramatic pause in the middle of the step before the ball is flicked out sidearm, a technique highly similar to that of the Indian spinner Ashwin.
Initially, the action created a lot of discussions in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2024 season, as it was reported for a suspected illegal action. Nonetheless, eventually Tariq was given the green light to bowl after the biomechanical testing in Lahore.
Curiously, Tariq attributes his strange action to a physical irregularity.
“I have a very peculiar right elbow which has two angles instead of one. That’s just the way my arm is,” he went on to say.
Now, Usman Tariq is at the threshold of making his dream come true, that is, being the first Pakistani bowler at the international level.
