PSL Chatters spinner Usman Tariq was seen talking about his struggles, and revealed that he returned to professional cricket after being inspired by the "struggle phase" of MS Dhoni's life as depicted in his biopic, MS Dhoni: The Untold Story. Tariq, who was working as a salesman in Dubai and a guard to support his family, felt his life mirrored Dhoni’s early days as a Railway Ticket Collector. He was deeply moved by the scene where Dhoni decides to leave his secure job at the railway station to chase his cricketing dreams.
He remarked, "His story felt similar to mine because I was also working a job, and he was too. He created history, and I felt that if he could do it, maybe I could as well". Motivated by the film, Tariq quit his job in Dubai and returned to Pakistan to resume training, eventually making his international debut nearly a decade after watching the movie.
Tariq has since become a major "X-factor" for Pakistan, known for his unique stop-and-pause bowling action. Usman Tariq made his international debut for Pakistan on 1 November 2025 in a T20I against South Africa at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. In his first international outing, the mystery spinner delivered an impressive spell of 2 wickets while conceding 26 runs in 4 overs.
Tariq on making it to International team without playing U19
“Its difficult to make place in the squad if you do not come from U13 or U19 teams, but I had a belief, a clarity of mind that I just wanted to play cricket and nothing is impossible. I had seen MS Dhoni face hardships but still ended up playing for the country”, Usman revealed the self belief he had himself that he would make it to the National Squad despite not playing cricket as a child.
In recent times, he became only the fourth Pakistani bowler to take a T20I hat-trick. He is also the only bowler in the world to achieve a T20I hat-trick in just his second international match.
