The contentious bowling action of Pakistan mystery spinner Usman Tariq once again drew scrutiny during the PSL 2026 after a stand-off with New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell.

The friction took place during the match between Quetta Gladiators and Rawalpindi Pindiz at National Stadium, Karachi on Friday (April 10).

During the 9th over of the Pindiz's chase, Mitchell faced Tariq and pulled out of his batting stance twice before the bowler delivered the ball.

The Kiwi batter was left frustrated by Tariq’s unconventional action, which features a long pause in the delivery stride before releasing the ball from a low, side-arm position.

Following the stand-off, the on-field umpires intervened to discuss the issue with Mitchell, but ultimately permitted Tariq to continue with his action.

Daryl Mitchell’s backing away act was to highlight the disruption in flow, a tactic potentially inspired by advice regarding handling such unique actions.

Notably, former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin had suggested Indian batters during the recently held T20 World Cup to step away from the crease to force a dead ball while facing Usman Tariq’s stop-start bowling action.

"If Tariq pauses before delivery, the batter has the right to move away. The batter can say, 'I don't know when the ball is coming, so I moved away'," Ashwin had said while speaking on YouTube channel.

"I want to see who dares to do that. That will be an interesting case and a huge headache for the umpire. See, I'm not against anyone. If I was there, I would have done that. I would have done everything that is within the laws of the game. In this instance, the umpire will have to decide whether to warn the bowler or the batter. Odds are, they will stand with the batter," he added.