Pakistan secured their place in the semi-finals by beating Namibia by 45 runs in their T20 World Cup match in Abu Dhabi – their fifth time in seven tournaments.
Earlier, captain Babar Azam and fellow opener Muhammad Rizwan scored half-centuries to take Pakistan to 189-2 in the Super 12 match of the T20 World Cup against Namibia in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
Babar scored his 23rd Twenty20 International half-century with 70 off 49 balls while Rizwan scored 79 not out off 50 balls while Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat on the green Sheikh Zayed Stadium pitch.
The pair added 113 for the first wicket when the pace of Pakistan’s blocks was slow, scoring only 59 runs in the first ten overs but 130 runs in the next ten and ended with a commotion.
Veteran Mohammad Hafeez scored 32 not out off 16 balls with the help of five fours.
Behind Afghanistan’s 190-4 against Scotland in Sharjah, Pakistan has the second largest collection in the tournament.
Pakistan tops Group 1 with three wins in most games and a victory here will make them the first team to qualify for the semi-finals.
Babar hit seven fours in the 15th over before dismissing David Weiss while Fakhr Zaman was caught by keeper Zen Green for five.
Rizwan scored 22 runs in the last over of JJ Smith with four fours and a six before completing his tenth half century by hitting a six on the visa in the 19th over.
Rizwan’s innings included eight fours and four sixes. Speaking after the toss, Pakistan captain Babar Azam confirmed that Man in Green has not made any changes to the squad.
Meanwhile, the Namibian captain praised the Pakistan cricket team, saying Babar Azam’s team is in form and a standard team.
In response to a question, the Namibian captain admitted that he was happy with Babar Azam’s selection and would have chosen to bowl first if he had won the toss.
After three consecutive victories against India, New Zealand and Afghanistan, Pakistan is on the verge of qualifying for the semi-finals and its goal is to seal the place with a win against Namibia in Abu Dhabi tonight.
Pakistan and Namibia will face each other for the first time in T20. Namibia will face its toughest test against Pakistan, which has yet to make it to the Super 12 of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021.
Unbeaten so far in the T20 World Cup, Pakistan has become one of the strongest dark horse favorites for the tournament in just three games.
While bowling has historically been a strong suit for Pakistan, the team’s batting, led by captain Babar Azam, has taken them out of trouble twice in the last two matches.
Namibia, on the other hand, came into the game after their first defeat in the Super 12 against Afghanistan. Although it was expected that the Eagles would find it difficult to deal with the spinners in Afghanistan’s ranks, the Namibian fast bowlers did so, taking seven of the nine wickets that fell.
Thus, Namibia will face the dangerous bowling of Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf and Hassan Ali, who have taken 14 out of 21 wickets for Pakistan so far. The spinners also played their role perfectly, giving the opposing batsmen a little respite between fast overs.
If the Namibian batsmen are to maintain their grip on Pakistan, they will have their own “bomb squad” to make a collective impact, which includes captain Gerhard Erasmus, David Weiss and JJ Smith.
Teams:
Pakistan: Babar Azam (captain), Mohammad Rizwan, Fakhr Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Emad Wasim, Hassan Ali, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Namibia: Gerhard Erasmus (captain), Craig Williams, Michael Van Langen, John Nicole Lofty Eaton, Zane Green, David Weiss, JJ Smith, John Freelink, Stephen Bard, Ben Shinkongo, Robin Trumpman
Umpires: Chris Brown (NZL) and Chris Giffani (NZL)
TV Umpire: Paul Raffle (AUS)
Match Referee: Jeff Crow (NZL)
In the center of attention
Proud time of Pakistan
Considering that he is the only South Pow in Pakistan’s top six, Fakhr Zaman will play a key role in neutralizing Namibia’s heavy left-handed attack.
He struggled against New Zealand, hitting 17 balls to reach 11, but found some rhythm with 30 off 25 balls against Afghanistan. After their opening game against India, Pakistan’s openers have not been able to click much in the last two games.
If there is a situation where time runs out for batting, then Pakistan will be hoping that they can dominate Namibia’s bowling attack.
David Ways of Namibia:
David Wise was the lone fighter for Namibia in Sunday’s 62-run defeat to Afghanistan. Even as the rest of the batting order struggled to cope with spin and speed, Weiss, the only batsman to cross the 20-run mark, outscored the Soldiers.
Although his innings was only inevitably delayed, Namibia are hopeful that their highest-scoring run-scorer in the tournament can lead the way against Pakistan’s strong bowling attack.
If Namibia is to challenge the in-form Pakistani team, Weiss will have to continue his current form. He scored 142 runs and took four wickets in the five matches played so far in the T20 World Cup. His experience in the format (272 T20 matches) definitely makes him an indispensable player in the fantasy team.
Stair situation:
Pakistan can practically make it to the semi-finals by defeating Namibia. The Eagles, meanwhile, will try to calm down and stay in touch with four places, games against New Zealand and India.
Pakistan can practically make it to the semi-finals by defeating Namibia. The Eagles, meanwhile, will try to calm down and stay in touch with four places, games against New Zealand and India.
What did the captain say?
Pakistan captain Babar Azam said: “In a tournament like this, we have to show our best in every game and perform consistently. We can’t be complacent against any team at any stage because the moment you give your opponent a small margin, they will be in a position to snatch the game from you, so we have to do our best. “
Pakistan captain Babar Azam said: “In a tournament like this, we have to show our best in every game and perform consistently. We can’t be complacent against any team at any stage because the moment you give your opponent a small margin, they will be in a position to snatch the game from you, so we have to do our best. “
Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus, meanwhile, was honest in his assessment of the defeat against Afghanistan. “We are aware of the challenges. We need to use this level. It is a step towards the future,” he said.
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