India, Feb. 15 -- Skipper Salman Ali Agha on Saturday defended the unorthodox action of Usman Tariq and termed the 'pause and sling' off-spinner as the "trump card" of Pakistan against India on a tacky Premadasa pitch in the T20 World Cup match on Sunday. Tariq showed his prowess with a three-wicket haul against the United States of America, albeit at the neighbouring Sinhalese Sports Club, and the 27-year-old could be doubly dangerous on a slower RPICS track.

"Usman is one among our 15 players, we treat him like that. You (media) people have made him big. He has been bowling very well," Agha initially tried to downplay the hype around Tariq in the pre-match press meet here on Saturday. But as the questions persisted on Tariq, Agha admit...