Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez believes that the talk about Usman Tariq is already a psychological advantage for Salman Ali Agha and his team against India ahead of their T20 World Cup match on Sunday, February 15.
Tariq and his unconventional bowling technique have been the talk of the town ever since his international debut, particularly in the lead-up to the India vs. Pakistan match.
Tariq has appeared in only four T20Is for Pakistan, taking 11 wickets at an average of 7.9. While previewing the India versus Pakistan game, Hafeez mentioned that there is concern within the Indian camp about the spinner and that special practice is being conducted to tackle him.
“If we go inside the cricketing aspect, the hype created around Usman Tariq is another psychological victory for us. Right now, no one is talking about Babar Azam or any other player. People are talking only about Usman Tariq. He has played just one or two games for Pakistan, but just imagine the amount of panic he has created in the Indian camp. They are specifically practicing against him in their sessions.
How many times have you seen so much discussion about just one player? The entire media, the hype, the world—they are not only thinking about the match result but also about what Usman Tariq will do tomorrow," said Hafeez on Tapmad.
Tariq has a strong character and can win games for Pakistan by himself, according to Hafeez. Since he believes the 28-year-old spinner can make the biggest impact during the match against India, he advised Agha to just utilize the player as an attacking option.
"Now I want to see how positively Salman Agha makes decisions as captain and how he uses Usman Tariq. If he uses him defensively, nothing will work for Pakistan. You need an attacking mindset when you use Usman Tariq. It could even be the sixth over, which I believe is always a very important over for a bowling unit—usually bowled by your most impactful bowler.
I want to see what planning they come up with regarding Usman Tariq, because if he is used in an attacking zone, I think he will be very impactful. I’m not saying that Abrar, Nawaz, or Shadab won’t make a difference, but right now, all the attention is on Usman Tariq," said Hafeez.
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