Pakistan
Namibia
Pakistan and Namibia will meet in Match 35 of the 2026 T20 World Cup at SSC Ground, Colombo. This will be a Group A clash with different stakes for both teams. Pakistan will enter this match placed third in the standings with 2 wins, coming after a loss against India in their previous game. They will look to secure a victory to strengthen their position in the race for qualification.
Namibia will come into this match at the bottom of the table after losing all their games so far. They are already out of contention, but they will look for an upset result.
Pakistan hold the advantage based on recent form, with 4 wins in their last 5 matches compared to Namibia’s single win in the same period. Pakistan will also carry confidence from their previous meeting in the 2021 T20 World Cup, where they secured a win.
Abrar Ahmed has taken 16 wickets in his last 10 matches, and with spin-friendly conditions, he will have strong chances to pick multiple wickets.
The betting tip is...
Abrar Ahmed - Over 1.5 wickets
53 %
47 %
PakistanNamibiaPakistan will come into this match after mixed performances in the tournament. They started with a three-wicket win over the Netherlands, where the top and middle order nearly collapsed before Faheem Ashraf’s late cameo sealed the chase. They struggled against India due to early wickets and a weak batting display.
Sahibzada Farhan will look to continue his form after scoring 73 off 41 against the USA, while he is expected to provide a strong start alongside Saim Ayub.
Babar Azam’s recent dip remains a concern, and he will need to anchor the middle order with Salman Agha and Usman Khan. Shaheen Afridi will aim to improve after conceding above 8.5 runs per over recently. Abrar Ahmed will be key in Colombo conditions, supported by Mohammad Nawaz in the middle overs.
Usman Tariq recently picked 3 wickets, while Shadab Khan took 2 and Saim Ayub claimed 3 against India during a spin-heavy bowling approach.
Ayub, Ashraf and Abrar are the key players.
Predicted Lineup: Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Agha (c), Babar Azam, Usman Khan (wk), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Salman Mirza, Abrar Ahmed
Namibia will enter this match looking to fix their main issue of not taking early wickets in either innings. Their bowling unit will rely heavily on Gerhard Erasmus, who picked 6 wickets in the last 2 matches, including 4 against India.
No other bowler has managed more than 2 wickets, which highlights the lack of support in the attack. The team will expect more contributions from the pace and spin options to apply pressure early. With the bat, Louren Steenkamp will carry confidence after scoring a fifty in the previous match.
Jan Frylinck will remain a key performer at the top, while Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton will be important in building partnerships through the middle overs. JJ Smit will add balance as an all-round option and will be expected to contribute in both departments.
Steenkamp, Frylinck and Erasmus are the key players.
Predicted Lineup: Jan Frylinck, Louren Steenkamp, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Gerhard Erasmus (c), JJ Smit, Zan Green (wk), Dylan Leicher, Ruben Trumpelmann, Willem Myburgh, Bernand Scholtz, Max Heingo.
Pakistan will start as favourites based on form, squad depth and their strong spin attack suited to Colombo conditions.
Their strategy of using multiple spin options has worked well, and they will likely rely heavily on Abrar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz and Saim Ayub again, especially against a Namibia batting lineup that has struggled to build strong partnerships. Namibia’s failure to take early wickets and lack of strong recent bowling support will put pressure on their batters to defend totals.
Pakistan’s spinners will control the middle overs, create pressure and force mistakes from Namibia’s middle order. Abrar Ahmed will play a major role as the main attacking option and will be expected to pick up key wickets if Pakistan dominate.
