PAK vs NAM

That brings us to the end of an action-packed contest here in Colombo. Pakistan march into the Super 8 with a commanding performance, while Namibia leave with valuable lessons and pride in their fight.

Thank you for joining us on Sportskeeda for all the live updates and analysis. Pradeep and Datrim Ray will now be signing off — stay tuned for more coverage as the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 rolls on. Until next time, goodbye and take care!

Salman Agha [Pakistan captain]: "(On the overall performance and qualification) It was a complete performance. We started strongly in the powerplay, built important partnerships through the middle, and finished well. Farhan has been outstanding over the last six months, and his hundred today was special. With the ball, we were disciplined and ruthless, hitting the right areas consistently. It was a clinical display. (On the impact of spin, especially Tariq) Facing Tariq in domestic cricket is always tough — he’s extremely difficult to pick, especially with his variations. We’re fortunate to have him in our side. The depth and quality of our spin attack give us flexibility, and in these conditions, that’s a major strength.(On the Super 8 and upcoming challenge) New Zealand will be a strong test in the Super 8, but we’ve been playing good cricket. If we replicate this level of performance, we’ll be competitive. With the spin options and all-rounders available, we have the balance to adapt to different situations as the tournament progresses."

Gerhard Erasmus [Namibia captain]: "(On the opening spell with the ball) The first six overs were encouraging. It was great to see a young player like Jack Brassell charging in with real intent, supported well by Smith and Trumpleman. We tried to make an early impact, but we couldn’t get the extra breakthroughs needed to truly put them under pressure through the middle phase. (On handling Pakistan’s spin attack) Their ability to turn the ball both ways is a special skill, and it created real challenges for our middle order. That’s an area we’ll take away and work on — improving our plans and skill levels against high-quality spin so we can compete more effectively in those situations. (On tournament takeaways and future focus) For us, it’s about locking down specialist roles, particularly at the top and bottom of the order. Our openers showed real promise this tournament, which is a big positive. Looking ahead, with major events coming to Zimbabwe, South Africa and Namibia, there are exciting opportunities. There’s a lot happening around Namibian cricket, and that gives the players something meaningful to build towards."

Sahibzada Farhan is the Player of the Match! Here's what he has to say: "(On his run of centuries and domestic consistency) I’ve been playing domestic cricket consistently for the last four years without missing a match, and I give a lot of credit to that platform. All my hundreds — in domestic cricket, the PSL, and now for Pakistan — have come through that hard work and regular exposure. The foundation was built in first-class cricket back home, and it’s satisfying to see it pay off. (On adjusting early in the innings) The surface wasn’t the easiest at the start, and it took a few overs to assess conditions. After the first couple of boundaries, the plan was to bat normally, settle through the first 15–16 overs, and then shift gears. Once set, the shots came naturally, and I was able to accelerate through the middle phase. (On the partnership with Shadab Khan) We lost a couple of wickets in quick succession, so the priority was to build a solid partnership. Once we had stability, the idea was to take charge. Shadab is capable of striking cleanly as well, and everything unfolded according to plan, which allowed us to push the total to a strong position.

6:13 PM local time (6:13 PM IST): Pakistan have won by x runs. .

Sahibzada Farhan - 100 (58) | Usman Tariq - 4/15
Louren Steenkamp - 23 (22) | Jack Brassell - 2/48

PAKISTAN HAMMER NAMIBIA TO ADVANCE TO THE SUPER 8 STAGE! India & Pakistan are through from Group A. Sadly, that will mark the end of the road for the USA in this competition. Steenkamp and Frylink got Namibia off to a controlled start. The Namibian openers scored freely against pace but struggled to get their timing right against the spinners. Mirza was the first Pakistani bowler to draw first, giving the Green Shorts their first breakthrough inside the 5th over. Namibia received another jolt when they lost Loftie-Eaton just before the powerplay. With two big blows inside the powerplay, the wheels started to come off for Namibia. Steenkamp looked good on 23 but threw it away while trying to up the tempo.

Namibia struggled to stay in the game as the asking rate kept climbing. Spinners came into the equation and made very light work of the feeble Namibian batting lineup. Shadab and Nawaz spun a vicious web around the Namibian batters, which proved impossible for Namibia to overcome. Tariq joined the attack and tightened the screws even further. Namibia were hardly able to get a move on as the overs ticked by. Volschenk tried to offer some resistance by adding a run-a-ball 20, which wasn’t going to be enough in such a massive run chase. The Namibian lower-order batters were all at sea while facing Tariq, who finished with 4 wickets at the expense of 15 runs. Shadab (3/18) and Nawaz (1/22) snapped a combined 4 wickets and bowled well in tandem to sink Namibia completely in this run chase.

17.3 Usman Tariq to Willem Myburgh, OUT! APPEAL FOR A CAUGHT BEHIND, GIVEN! And, it's all over for Namibia! Myburgh wants to review this though. Short and wide, Myburgh reaches to cut, but he might've found the outside edge.

UltraEdge comes up, shows spike as the ball passes the bat and Pakistan are through to the Super 8s with that clinical victory!

17.1 Usman Tariq to Bernard Scholtz, OUT! KNOCKED HIM OVER! Tariq has his third wicket of the game. Floated full on the stumps, Scholtz late into the drive, through to rattle the stumps.

16.4 Shadab Khan to Willem Myburgh, OH! How did that miss the leg-stump? Length delivery, slides into the leg-stump. Myburgh leans to drive, but the googly beats the inside edge and goes past the leg-stump.

16.2 Shadab Khan to Zane Green, OUT! SAIM TAKES A BLINDER! Has that carried to Saim at deep square-leg? Saim diving forward as he runs in, he's claiming the catch and Green is walking. Length delivery on the stumps, Green sweeps it to deep square-leg. Saim gets his hands underneath that as confirmed by the replays and that is an excellent catch. Umpire goes upstairs to check this though.

Dharmasena checks couple of angles, he's convinced that it's a clean catch and signals OUT on the big screen!