Usman Tariq’s journey from working jobs in Dubai to earning a spot in Pakistan’s T20 World Cup squad highlights years of struggle, breakthrough performances and captain Salman Ali Agha calling him the team’s potential X-factor.
By MediaBites | Sports Desk – BBC Uru
Pakistan’s newest T20 World Cup squad member, 28-year-old spinner Usman Tariq, has travelled a remarkable road — from working odd jobs in Dubai to becoming one of the country’s most talked-about bowling prospects.
Years ago, Tariq repeatedly told his local club captain in Nowshera, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, that he wanted to quit his job abroad and return home to pursue cricket.
“I want to come back to Pakistan, play cricket and dismiss big players. I can’t keep doing this job in Dubai,” he had said.
Friends warned him that the move was risky. A stable job was rare, and chances in professional cricket were even rarer. But in 2017, he returned anyway — determined to restart his career from local grounds.
Struggles before breakthrough
For several years, success did not come easily. Then opportunities slowly appeared — and Tariq grabbed them.
His big breakthrough came in the Caribbean Premier League, where he took 20 wickets in 10 matches, finishing as the tournament’s second-highest wicket-taker and catching national selectors’ attention.
He was called up in November 2025 against South Africa, picking up two wickets in his debut T20I. Soon after, a hat-trick against Zimbabwe in Rawalpindi turned him into a national talking point.
Controversy and captain’s backing
During a series against Australia, rival batter Cameron Green mocked Tariq’s bowling action, sparking debate over its legality. However, the action has twice been cleared in official testing.
Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha has now publicly defended him, calling Tariq the team’s potential “X-factor” in the World Cup.
“I don’t understand why his action is questioned. It has been tested twice,” the captain said in Colombo.
A story of persistence
From labour work overseas to international cricket, Tariq’s journey reflects persistence over security — a gamble that ultimately paid off.
Now, as Pakistan heads into the T20 World Cup, the spinner once told to keep his job may instead carry the hopes of a nation’s bowling attack.
