Quetta Gladiators' spinner Usman Tariq has been officially cleared of having a suspect bowling action, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed on Wednesday.
Tariq had been reported by on-field umpires Ahsan Raza and Chris Brown during a PSL 10 match between Quetta Gladiators and Lahore Qalandars at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on April 13. Although allowed to continue bowling under league rules, he was sidelined by the team, which requested the PCB to arrange for testing of his action.
Following the request, Tariq underwent an official assessment at the PCB-accredited biomechanics lab in Lahore, where his bowling action was found to be legal.
"Quetta Gladiators spinner Usman Tariq, who was earlier reported for a suspect bowling action, has cleared his bowling assessment after undergoing testing at the PCB-accredited biomechanics lab in Lahore," read the PCB's official statement.
"Usman was reported for a suspect bowling action on 13 April during an HBL PSL X match against Lahore Qalandars. Following this, the Quetta Gladiators management requested the PCB to allow the bowler to undergo testing, consequent to which he has cleared the bowling assessment," the statement added.
This was the second time Tariq had been reported during a PSL season. He was previously flagged in PSL 9 during a match against Karachi Kings, where umpires Richard Illingworth and Asif Yaqoob raised concerns about his action.
After a quiet run in the 2024 season, where he took just two wickets in five games, Tariq has shown better form this year, claiming three wickets in two matches so far.
His clearance comes as a boost for Quetta Gladiators, who currently top the PSL 10 points table with 13 points from nine games and are assured of a top-two finish going into the playoffs.