Pakistan opt to bat, rest Shaheen Afridi and Abrar against Namibia

Colombo: Pakistan won the toss and opted to bat first against Namibia in a must-win ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 clash at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground on Wednesday.

The team made two changes to their XI, with Salman Mirza and Khawaja Nafay coming in, while Shaheen Afridi and Abrar were rested.

Early breakthroughs came for Namibia as 20-year-old Jack Brassell struck with a full wide delivery on the first ball of his second over. Saim Ayub, struggling with form, went for a risky shot and edged it to Zane Green, who completed a simple catch.

Pakistan enters the contest under pressure following a disappointing defeat to India earlier in the tournament. The 2009 champions are currently third in Group A with two wins and one loss, holding a net run rate of -0.403.

A win against Namibia would give Pakistan six points and confirm their progression to the Super Eight stage, likely with a second-place finish in the group.

Playing XIs

Pakistan: Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Salman Agha (c), Sahibzada Farhan, Usman Khan (wk), Khawaja Mohammad Nafay, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Salman Mirza, Usman Tariq

Namibia: Jan Frylinck, Louren Steenkamp, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Gerhard Erasmus (c), Alexander Busing-Volschenk, JJ Smit, Zane Green (wk), Ruben Trumpelmann, Willem Myburgh, Bernard Scholtz, Jack Brassell