Pakistan has done Pakistan again. As in most of their recent tournaments, they once again found themselves in a do-or-die position – in a group that many believed was ready to advance to the next round.
After getting through the Netherlands and getting smashed by India, Pakistan now find themselves in a must-win situation. If they fail to beat Namibia in their final Group A match, they will be eliminated at the group stage for the second consecutive edition.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Pakistan remain a strong line-up with a quality bowling attack. They may lack consistency, but they certainly have the firepower to bundle out fellow nations like Namibia for a modest total.
They face a tough Namibian side who are always willing to fight. Namibia are yet to win a match at this World Cup and will be keen to make a strong statement. Their batting line-up has yet to click in any of the matches and they will be hoping to produce some fireworks at the Sinhala Sports Club on Wednesday, February 18.
PAK vs NAM: Team news
Pakistan’s top players have come under intense scrutiny after their heavy defeat to India. Former captain Shahid Afridi even demanded the removal of Babar Azam and his son-in-law Shaheen Shah Afridi after the marquee clash.
The pressure will also be on Shadab Khan, who endured a tough outing against opener Ishan Kishan at the Premadasa Stadium.
For Namibia, the squad is expected to remain almost unchanged, apart from Ben Shikong, who has been ruled out of the tournament.
Pakistan’s Usman vs Namibia’s Tariq
Usman Tariq was the talk of the town on Sunday but Pakistan may not have been able to use him effectively against India. He was brought into the offense too late, and by the time he got to the bowl, the damage had already been done.
Namibia have a coup of their own in mercurial captain Gerhard Erasmus, a hard-working bowler who cleverly uses different angles to spread the batting.
This competition could turn out to be interesting, especially since India too found Erasmus difficult to handle.
PAK vs NAM: Match details
When: 15:00 IST, Wednesday, February 18
Where: Sinhala Sports Club, Colombo
PAK vs NAM: Colombo Pitch Report
The Sinhalese Sports Club has traditionally offered good batting conditions. Ireland posted 235 runs against Oman on Saturday, underscoring the venue’s scoring potential. Since this is a day game, the surface may be a bit slower, but another high-scoring encounter cannot be ruled out.
Rain is expected to threaten driving in Colombo again. Zimbabwe’s match against Ireland has been played on Tuesday, leading to Australia’s exit from the tournament. Could rain spoil it again and potentially knock out another big team?
Pakistan vs Namibia: Predicted Playing XI
Pakistan:
Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Agha (c), Babar Azam/Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Nawaz, Usman Khan (wk), Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Salman Mirza, Abrar Ahmed, Usman Tariq
Namibia:
Jan Frylinck, Louren Steenkamp, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Gerhard Erasmus (c), JJ Smit, Zane Green (wk), Dylan Leicher, Ruben Trumplemann, Willem Myburgh, Bernard Scholtz, Max Heingo
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Issued by:
sabyasachi chowdhury
Published on:
February 18, 2026