Pakistan vs Namibia, 35th Match, Group A, ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 - Commentary

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Salman Agha: I think it has to be a complete performance. I think we batted well in powerplay, we started really well in the powerplay and in the middle, we put partnerships on and then we finished well. Sahibzada has been outstanding. The way he's been batting for us for the last six months, he's just batting really well and he scored 100 today. I'm very happy for him. And when it comes to the ball, I think we were lethal and we were ruthless. We bowled in the right area whether it's a fast bowler or a spinner. I think it was a complete performance for us. Trust me, it's tough. He is a tough bowler to face. Whenever I have played him in domestic, I find it very hard because he's someone who's very, very tough to pick, and then when he has a pause. It becomes very, very difficult. But I'm very happy he's playing for us and I'm very happy for him with the way he's bowling. I really hope he can bowl well in the business end now, the way he's bowling right now, and win us more games. (Playing New Zealand next) I think we have been playing really good cricket. New Zealand have been playing good cricket. So, I'm guessing it will be a good game. And I think the way we are playing right now, if we replicate that kind of performance in the next game, I think we'll be fine. (On not bowling pacers much) I think we have luxury of spinners. We have all-rounders who can bat and bowl and then we have a proper match winner when it comes to spin bowling. So if you have that much of a spin bowling in Sri Lanka, you don't really need to bowl a fast bowler in the middle. And if we need to bowl a fast bowler in the middle, we have the bowlers who can do that as well. But right now, we are fine bowling with the spinners.

Gerhard Erasmus: (About starting well with the ball) Yeah, it was quite pleasing to see a young guy like Jack Brassell running in there, supported by Smit and that Trumpelmann really giving some energy to that first impact we tried to put on the game. Unfortunately, couldn't get the breakthrough. Two or three times we really put pressure on them in that middle period and slow it up. (On Pakistan's quality spin bowling) It's a special skill to have, to turn the ball both ways like they do. I think that's one of the things we'll definitely take home and look to improve on, is facing that type of bowling and making good plans around it and getting that skill level up in order to combat that. (Learnings from the tournament) I think for us, it's always about nailing those specialist positions. I think for these four editions of the World Cup, it's largely been like the top and bottom kind of thing. So openers with the bat this tournament is definitely a great takeaway, how they've batted it in this tournament. (On the next 50-over being played in Africa) Yeah, lots of cricket around and lots of really exciting things happening in and around cricket in Namibia, which gives the boys a lot of pleasing things to play for. And for the future of cricket in the country, it's definitely a lot to play for.

Pakistan spinners today (by length)
Full (Less than 3m): 1/20, 21 balls, ER: 5.71
Good (3-5m): 6/25, 29 balls, ER: 5.17
Short (More than 5m): 1/19, 31 balls, ER: 3.67

Spinners in this game
NAM: 1/85 in 9 overs, ER: 9.44
PAK: 8/67 in 13.3 overs, ER: 4.96

Pakistan spinners in this tournament
Overs: 60.4
Wickets: 26 — most by any team
Avg: 15.76
SR: 14.0
ER: 6.75
Dot%: 36.6%

Pakistan spinners picked 8 wickets today - the joint-most for them in a T20 WC innings alongside as many against NED at Lord’s in 2009.

4/16 by Usman Tariq is the second-best bowling figures for a Pakistan spinner in the T20 WCs after 4/11 by Shahid Afridi vs NED in the 2009 edition.

Biggest win for PAK in T20 WCs (by runs)
102 vs NAM, Colombo SSC, 2026*
82 vs NED, Lord’s, 2009
72 vs SCO, Sharjah, 2021
55 vs BAN, Kolkata, 2016

Lowest totals against PAK in T20 WCs
91/9 - NED, Perth, 2022
93 - NED, Lord’s, 2009
97 - NAM, Colombo SSC, 2026*
99 - NZ, The Oval, 2009

Sahibzada Farhan | PoTM: (On scoring his 5th T20 hundred since 2025) I don't miss a match in domestic cricket and doing well in domestic cricket for the last 4 odd years helped me. It’s the result of consistent hard work in domestic cricket back home in Pakistan. The pitch wasn't easy to bat on initially but after a few hits I played my natural game. I told Shadab that we need to get a partnership because we had lost two quick wickets. Everything went according to plan.

18:13 Local Time, 12:43 GMT, 18:13 IST: 199 was way too much for Namibia with the quality of spinners Pakistan had in the armoury. Pakistan got the ball turn almost 2x to what Namibia managed to do. Sahibzada Farhan played a great innings where he went from 30 off 27 balls to record his maiden T20I hundred in the next 31 balls. He had a fifty partnership with his captain Salman Agha, before Shadab shared another fifty-run stand after being promoted up the order. The start was decent for Namibia against the pacers but the deal was sealed once the spinners came on. Usman Tariq grabbed a 4-fer, Shadab picked up three to erase memories of the India game. Mirza and Nawaz picked up one apiece.

Usman Tariq to Willem Myburgh, THATS OUT!! Caught!!

Slip, gully, leg gully surround the batter

Usman Tariq to Bernard Scholtz, THATS OUT!! Bowled!!