Pakistan cricket team will on Namibia in what will be their final group stage game of the T20 World Cup 2026 on February 18. After securing two back to back wins against Netherlands and the USA, Salman Ali Agha and co. were handed a thumping 61-run defeat by defending champions India, putting their chances of making it to the Super 8 in slight jeopardy. Pakistan will now have to ensure that they defeat underdogs Namibia (who have already been eliminated) in order to qualify without hiccups.
Poor performances from star players like Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi may force the team management to make certain changes for their final league fixture.
Predicted Pakistan playing XI vs Namibia
| Position | Player | Role |
| 1. | Sahibzada Farhan | Opener |
| 2. | Saim Ayub | All-rounder |
| 3. | Fakhar Zaman | Batter |
| 4. | Salman Ali Agha (C) | Batter |
| 5. | Usman Khan | Batter |
| 6. | Shadab Khan | All-rounder |
| 7. | Mohammad Nawaz | Spinner |
| 8. | Faheem Ashraf | All-rounder |
| 9. | Shaheen Afridi | Pacer |
| 10. | Usman Tarique | Spinner |
| 11. | Abrar Ahmad | Spinner |
One of Pakistan’s stalwarts and most experienced campaigner, Babar has simply failed to live up to the expectations so far in the ongoing T20 World Cup. In three matches, he has registered scores of 5, 46 and 15, thereby putting extreme pressure on the middle-order. Pakistan could might as well drop him from the playing XI in the contest against Namibia and play Fakhar Zaman in his place instead.
Although Zaman has a lesser average compared to Babar in T20Is, he could just be the batter that Pakistan are looking for in the top three – a batter who can switch between acceleration and cruise control with ease. Zaman could very well occupy the number 3 spot and do justice to the role as well. This will mean captain Agha will have to move to number 4. The rest of the middle-order is largely expected to remain unchanged.
In the bowling department, Pakistan will continue to rely heavily on spin, with all eyes on mystery spinner Usman Tarqiue. The team’s pace spearhead Shaheen Afridi has simply failed to deliver so far in the tournament, managing to pick only 3 wickets and being quite expensive, especially in the game against India. Pakistan have the option of replacing him with Naseem Shah but it is highly unlikely to happen.
Pakistan squad for T20 World Cup
Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Agha(c), Babar Azam, Usman Khan(w), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, Usman Tariq, Fakhar Zaman, Naseem Shah, Salman Mirza, Khawaja Nafay
Cricket
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