Nervous Pakistan face Namibia with final Super Eight spot on the line

After the reality check of the India game, Pakistan have only one goal for this final group match against Namibia - do not lose.

Victory - or a washout - will secure them a Super Eight berth, which they famously failed to qualify for in 2024, at USA's expense. Should Namibia spring a surprise, it will once more be USA that progress at Pakistan's expense, and condemn them to a third straight first-round exit at a men's ICC event.

Pakistan should comfortably have enough to overcome a Namibian side that is winless in Group A. But frayed nerves can play havoc should the Namibians find a way to turn this into a scrap. Against Netherlands in the tournament opener, Pakistan found themselves on the brink of defeat after a couple of wickets during a routine chase saw them dramatically lose their way.

But the loss against India, and the magnitude of the defeat, is likely to have shaken confidence. The one-dimensional bowling plans were clearly exposed by India, with Pakistan in possession of no credible seam option bar a struggling Shaheen Afridi. With the bat, the failure of the top order effectively killed off the game inside the first two overs.

There is likely to be a sweep of changes after the loss against India for Pakistan, with a tweak to their bowling combination that allows more pace. However, they will be aware they need to do a little more than was required of them against USA last week, when a clinical - if not overwhelming - performance proved too much for the Americans.

Namibia do not possess anywhere near the same quality, but, already eliminated, they go into the game with a level of freedom Pakistan do not possess. Their strength lies at the top of the batting order, where they caused discomfort to both the USA and the Netherlands, though not for long enough to convert it into points. They will need to play the perfect game, and for long enough, to cause the upset of the tournament and do their fellow Associates a big favour.

Pakistan: LWWWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Namibia: LLLWL

Saim Ayub has established his all-round T20 credentials, but as yet, a standout innings with the bat at an T20 World Cup remains elusive. He came into this tournament in imperious form, but three matches in Sri Lanka have seen him restricted to cameos at best, with 49 runs in three innings. That built on from the 2024 World Cup, where he couldn't kick on in the two games he played. It has amounted to a T20 World Cup average of 14.40 at a strike rate just above 18, both well below his overall career numbers. Against Namibia, Pakistan may require him to settle nerves, whether it's with a blistering start that bats the opposition out of the game, or breaks the back of a target. It is, after all, what Pakistan's continued participation in the tournament could come down to.

Louren Steenkamp may be relatively new to the Namibian side, but he is already among their most explosive run-scorers. With a strike rate of just under 133, only Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton has scored at a higher rate through his Namibian career. A failure against Netherlands, he has taken charge of the Namibian innings, facing the first ball and getting them off to flyers against both India and the USA. He was particularly tough on Arshdeep Singh, taking 22 runs off nine balls against him, and following up with 58 off 39 against USA. Namibia will need him to bat through the powerplay, and possibly longer, against a Pakistan attack short on confidence, piling pressure on them in a game where the stakes are already high.

Pakistan are expected to ring in the changes after a widely panned performance against India. At least three are certain to happen, with quick bowlers Naseem Shah and Salman Mirza set to come in, while one, or even both, of Fakhar Zaman and Khawaja Nafay being called up for their first games this tournament would not be a surprise. Shaheen looks certain to drop to the bench, with Babar Azam similarly precarious.

Pakistan: 1 Sahibzada Farhan (wk), 2 Saim Ayub, 3 Salman Agha (capt), 4 Babar Azam/Khawaja Nafay, 5 Shadab Khan/Fakhar Zaman, 6 Usman Khan (wk), 7 Mohammad Nawaz, 8 Salman Mirza, 9 Naseem Shah, 10 Usman Tariq, 11 Abrar Ahmed

Namibia made a couple of changes to their side for the game against USA, and may make one more here. Fast bowler Max Heingo has endured a difficult start, bowling four wicketless overs across three matches and conceding 52. Jack Brassell is the obvious replacement.

Namibia: 1 Jan Frylinck, 2 Louren Steenkamp, 3 Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, 4 Gerhard Erasmus (capt), 5 JJ Smit, 6 Zane Green (wk), 7 Dylan Leicher, 8 Ruben Trumpelmann, 9 Willem Myburgh, 10 Bernard Scholtz, 11 Jack Brassell

Pakistan return to the Sinhalese Sports Club after one game against India at the R Premadasa Cricket Stadium. The wicket here is somewhat more receptive to seam bowling than the RPS. A black soil pitch, which was earlier used for the game between Ireland and Oman - where Ireland scored 235 - will be used for this game.

There is a mild chance of rain around the time the game is scheduled to start, but forecast should clear up soon after.

"Shaheen and Babar, they have won many games for Pakistan. (Performance in) one game doesn't show what their capability or calibre is. These guys know very well how to bounce back after such games because they are the most senior players in the team and they know how to retrieve their form back"
Usman Tariq backs Pakistan's star players to come good