The stakes couldn’t be higher at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC). In a do-or-die ICC T20 World Cup 2026 Group A clash, Pakistan has posted 47/1 after the first 6 overs against Namibia. A win here seals a Super 8 spot… a loss sends them home.
Skipper Salman Ali Agha won the toss and opted to bat, aiming to put “runs on the board” in this high-pressure contest. However, the start has been anything but smooth.
Pakistan’s openers, Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub, struggled to find fluency against the new ball. Namibia’s pacers, Ruben Trumpelmann and Jack Brassell, extracted steep bounce from the surface, troubling both batters immediately.
Farhan, currently on 26 off 20, lived dangerously. He survived a few close calls, edging boundaries through vacant slip regions and mistiming pulls. Despite the shaky start, he kept the scoreboard ticking, finding the fence four times.
Saim Ayub, on the other hand, failed to capitalise. After a sluggish 14 off 12, his luck ran out in the 6th over.
Young pacer Jack Brassell delivered the blow Namibia needed. He floated a full delivery wide outside off, tempting Ayub. The left-hander chased it without any foot movement, edging it straight to wicketkeeper Zane Green. It was a loose shot against a ball that would have likely been wide.
Salman Agha walked in at number three and immediately showed intent, punching a back-of-a-length delivery through covers for four to get off the mark.
Pakistan has a platform, but the loss of Ayub and the challenging bounce suggest the middle overs will be a grind. The Green Shirts must rotate strike better to post a defending total.
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