Pakistan bowler Tariq and his unusual delivery courts controversy at the T20 World Cup

ISLAMABAD (AP) — With a momentary pause in his delivery and his statue-like pose at the crease, Pakistan spin bowler Usman Tariq has created plenty of attention at cricket's Twenty20 World Cup.

Just enough, it seems, to throw off opposing batters.

With it has come a fair share of controversy — that his pause-and sling style of bowling is an illegal delivery, or in cricket parlance, chucking. He's already been reported twice, but cleared, by Pakistani cricket authorities.

The 28-year-old offspinner’s unconventional bowling action has already mesmerized some of the big names in shortest format of the game and has seen him taking three wickets against an inexperienced United States in Sri Lanka this week in what was his first T20 World Cup game.

As is often the case in cricket, the reasons for Tariq’s potential illegal delivery are complicated.

First there is the so-called “15-degree debate” — that bowlers cannot exceed the ICC’s 15-degree elbow flex limit, which is nearly impossible for on-field umpires to judge accurately in real time.

Another talking point has been the pause in Tariq’s delivery stride. Some critics, including former India cricketer Shreevats Goswami, compare it to a soccer penalty run-up that would be ruled illegal if the shooter stops midway.

Batters like Cameron Green of Australia and South African Dewald Brevis are a few notable players that were flummoxed by Tariq’s bowling action.

Power-hitter Brevis fell to Tariq’s only second ball in T20 international cricket in November. Green shook his head in disbelief and mocked Tariq’s bowling action close to the boundary line — but later apologized — when he walked back after slicing a wide delivery straight to the cover fielder during Pakistan’s 3-0 sweep of Australia at Lahore.

Tariq’s rise in T20 cricket has also seen him taking a hat-trick at Rawalpindi when he took 4-18 against Zimbabwe during the tri-series in November. He has taken 11 wickets off his 88 balls in only four T20 internationals.

It was no surprise when selectors included Tariq in the 15-man T20 World Cup squad, knowing that pitches in Sri Lanka would suit slow bowlers more than pacemen.

Tariq’s journey to top-level cricket wasn’t a smooth one. He was twice reported for suspect bowling action during country’s premier domestic T20 tournament — the Pakistan Super League — over the last two seasons, but on both occasions he was cleared after testing at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore.

“I have two elbows in my arm,” Tariq said. "My arm bends naturally. I have got this tested and cleared. Everyone feels I bend my arm and all that. My bent arm is a biological issue.”

Tariq has also featured in the Caribbean Premier League and with his deceptive bowling action he was the tournament’s second-highest wicket taker for champions Trinbago Knight Riders.

“The batters are struggling to read Tariq because of the long pause the moment he steps on the bowling crease,” former Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, who has played with Tariq in the PSL's Quetta Gladiators, told The Associated Press.

“The long pause disturbs all the concentration of batters and when he bowls a fastish (delivery, after a long pause), or even a slow ball, it leaves the batters clueless.”

Less than three months ago, Tariq said he had dreamed about playing against archrival India. And after Pakistan withdrew its boycott of Sunday’s game in the T20 World Cup, Tariq's dream could come true if Pakistan uses five spinners against India.

“I wish there’s a match against India and I can win the game for Pakistan single-handedly,” Tariq said then. “My coaches have injected this thing in me that ‘you have to win matches single-handedly'.”

On Sunday against India, Tariq could do just that.

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

Pakistan's Usman Tariq, centre, celebrates with teammates the wicket of United States' Milind Kumar during the T20 World Cup cricket match between Pakistan and the United States in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Pakistan's Usman Tariq, right, and Pakistan's captain Salman Agha delegates after they won the T20 World Cup cricket match against the United States in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Pakistan's Usman Tariq bowls a delivery during the T20 World Cup cricket match between Pakistan and the United States in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Pakistan's Usman Tariq, left, and Pakistan's captain Salman Agha celebrates the wicket of United States' Mohammad Mohsin during the T20 World Cup cricket match between Pakistan and the United States iin Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

MIAMI (AP) — A supervisor at the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's office in the Dominican Republic has been arrested as part of an investigation into abuse of a U.S. visa program for confidential informants, a current and former U.S. official briefed on the matter told The Associated Press on Thursday.

The arrest comes as the Trump administration has abruptly shuttered the anti-narcotics office in the Caribbean nation over what it said was a “disgusting and disgraceful violation of public trust.”

Melitón Cordero was taken into custody as part of an investigation led by U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the two people said. They spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.

There were no additional details about the arrest and messages to Cordero’s cellphone were not immediately returned. Neither DHS nor the DEA immediately responded to request for comment.

Earlier Thursday, U.S. Ambassador Leah F. Campos said she has closed the DEA's office until further notice without providing a reason.

“It is a disgusting and disgraceful violation of public trust to use one’s official capacity for personal gain,” she wrote on X. “I will not tolerate even the perception of corruption anywhere in the Embassy I lead.”

Dominican Foreign Affairs Minister Roberto Álvarez said the closure had nothing to do with the Dominican government but was part of an internal U.S. investigation.

Every year, the DEA, FBI and other federal law enforcement agencies sponsor the entry to the United States of hundreds of foreign nationals who might otherwise be considered inadmissible due to their association with criminal activity. Over time, many of the individuals, who are expected to assist investigators, become eligible for permanent residency.

A 2019 report by a Justice Department watchdog identified several lapses in the visa program, finding that law enforcement had lost track of as many as 1,000 sponsored individuals, posing risks to public safety or national security because of the individuals' involvement with criminal activity.

The Dominican Republic is a major transit zone for narcotics leaving South America and law enforcement authorities in the country have long worked closely with their U.S. counterparts.

In late November, Dominican President Luis Abinader announced that he was authorizing the U.S. government to operate inside restricted areas at San Isidro Air Base and Las Américas International Airport to help in its fight against drug trafficking.

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Mustian reported from Minneapolis. AP Writer Dánica Coto contributed to this report from Puerto Rico.

FILE - A Drug Enforcement Administration agent listens as President Donald Trump speaks with members of law enforcement and National Guard soldiers Aug. 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)