Ashwin suggests strategy for tackling Usman Tariq

Spin great R Ashwin has a simple suggestion for Indian batters as they gear up to deal with the unique side-arm action of Pakistan off-spinner Usman Tariq come Sunday — just move away when he pauses before delivering the ball. The 30-year-old Tariq, whose stop and pause action has created quite a stir, has played four T20 Internationals and taken 11 wickets at an astonishing economy rate of less than six runs per over. He could play a decisive role in Sunday’s T20 World Cup clash between the bitter foes on a slow Premadasa track. “If he stops before delivering the ball, the batsman has the right to move away.

He can say that ‘I thought he is stopping’. That will be an interesting case and a huge headache for the umpire,” Ashwin said on his Youtube channel ‘Ash Ki Baat’. “If I was there I would have done it. One should do everything to win a game within rules. I would simply say I don’t know when he will release the ball and I would step away. If I move away, it is the umpire’s responsibility. “Imagine the pressure on Usman Tariq in the middle of the match. It would be an incredible joyride. He is the ace up their sleeves, imagine what he becomes if the batsman reacts like that,” he added.