All’s not well within the Pakistan camp, and tensions were palpable inside the dugout during the team’s must-win Group A T20 World Cup 2026 match against Namibia on Wednesday at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo. After losing to India by 61 runs on Sunday, Pakistan faced a must-win match against Namibia, knowing that a loss would lead to yet another early elimination from the tournament. The contest against Gerharad Erasmus’ side started off on a good note for Pakistan as skipper Salman Ali Agha won the toss and opted to bat first.
Pakistan then started off the innings with some caution as Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub refrained from going hell for leather right from the start. The left-handed Ayub once again fell cheaply, scoring 14 runs off 12 balls, but Farhan and captain Agha ensured that Pakistan stayed afloat. The two put on 67 runs off 42 balls for the second wicket, but Agha ended up losing his wicket against the run of play for 38 off 23 balls.
Soon after the dismissal, the TV cameras picked up an animated conversation between Agha and head coach Mike Hesson. When Hesson spoke, it seemed that the Pakistan captain wasn’t pleased and even ended up throwing a bottle of water. Following this development, Hesson was slightly taken aback. He said something, to which Agha simply nodded. Babar Azam was caught in the crossfire; he didn’t say anything, just looked sheepish.
Babar Azam demoted in the batting order
The match between Pakistan and Namibia also saw Babar demoted in the batting order, as he didn’t walk out at No. 4. After a good start, the Pakistan management decided to send Khawaja Nafay and Shadab Khan ahead of him. Babar has been struggling in the tournament right from the first match against the Netherlands. The right-handed batter, 31, was guilty of playing loose shots against the Dutch and India.
Pakistan also left out Shaheen Shah Afridi after his below-par performance against India, during which the left-armer leaked 31 runs in two overs.
After opting to bat first, Pakistan posted 199/3 in 20 overs, owing to a maiden T20I century by Sahibzada Farhan. He remained unbeaten on 100, and he also found support from Shadab Khan, as the two put together a partnership of 81 runs for the fourth wicket. For Namibia, Erasmus picked up one wicket while Jack Brassell returned with figures of 2/48.
