Pakistan spinner Usman Tariq, who took 10 wickets at the 2026 T20 World Cup, was left out of both the T20I squad against Sri Lanka and the ODI tri-series squad featuring England and Sri Lanka
Controversial Pakistan spinner Usman Tariq shared a cryptic post on social media after being left out of the Pakistan squads for the upcoming home white-ball matches. His post came shortly after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced the squads for the T20I series against Sri Lanka and the ODI tri-series involving England and Sri Lanka.
Tariq took to his official Instagram account and shared a story that read, "The hardest part of wisdom is learning to stay silent when Ego wants to speak." The spinner did not directly mention his omission, but the timing of the post has hinted towards a take on the development.
Usman Tariq's Instagram is banned in India, however, fans on other social media platforms have shared the screenshot of his story and stated that the Pakistan spinner has taken a swipe at the board after his omission from the squad.
The right-arm spinner has represented Pakistan in nine T20Is and taken 18 wickets. He was one of Pakistan's leading performers at the 2026 T20 World Cup which was co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
Tariq finished as Pakistan's highest wicket-taker in the tournament with 10 wickets in six matches at an average of 14.10 and an economy rate of 7.23. He ranked 13th among the tournament's leading wicket-takers.
Tariq, however, was not included in either of Pakistan's squads for the upcoming home assignments. Regular white-ball wicket-keepers Mohammad Rizwan and Usman Khan have also been left out.
Khawaja Nafay has been named in the T20I squad, while Ghazi Ghori and Saad Baig have been selected for the ODI side.
Another major change is Salman Ali Agha's removal as Pakistan's T20I captain. He has also been left out of the squad and Sahibzada Farhan has been appointed as his successor. Farhan previously led Pakistan to a silver medal at the 2026 Asian Games where the team lost to India in the final.
