Pakistan vs Namibia: T20 World Cup Match Preview

ABU DHABI: Having almost qualified for the semi-finals of T20 World Cup, Pakistan are likely to test their bench strength in their match against Namibia here on Tuesday (today).

Pakistan, who have won their matches against India, New Zealand and Afghanistan, can treat their last two matches almost like bonus warm-up matches. They decimated India by ten wickets in the first match and saw off New Zealand and Afghanistan with ruthless efficiency.

They could rest one or two of the assets they want at their best in the semi-finals. Shaheen Afridi is perhaps the most compelling candidate. They might also induct all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz and batsman Haider Ali.

But there is a concern about the lack of form of pacer Hasan Ali. In what has been just about a perfect tournament for almost every other player, Hasan has struggled to find the lines and lengths, either in the middle overs or at the death that make him so lethal at his best. An 18th over that went for 21 let Afghanistan back into the game, and he conceded 44 in his four overs against India last Sunday. He has also been bowling no-balls - he has delivered four in his last two matches - which hardly any team can afford in the shortest format of the game.

Namibia, meanwhile, aren’t there to be anyone’s sidekick. They are very much still in the tournament and in contention for the semi-finals. They have have played an eye-catching brand of T20 cricket that has seen them come further this tournament than most would have expected. They have a quality fast bowler in Ruben Trumpelmann, a slew of useful spinners, a solid-enough top order, and a superstar in David Wiese. If they can catch Pakistan in a moment of complacency, they might just have the potential to put them under pressure.

Perhaps no side is as familiar with David Wiese of late as Pakistan, given his exploits in the PSL over the past few seasons. Plying his trade with Lahore Qalandars, he has been among the shining stars of a struggling franchise. His exploits as finisher are already the stuff of legend, and what he achieved with the Qalandars has translated seamlessly into his form with Namibia. He has been his side’s highest scorer (142 runs), boasts their highest strike rate (135.23), and has the highest average (47.33) for all their players with more than 60 runs. Add to that his bowling capabilities, and it’s hard not to conclude that there are very few sides at this tournament Wiese would not get into. He’s very familiar with the opposition and the venue by dint of his PSL experience, which makes him one to watch.

Despite a first defeat in four games against Afghanistan, Namibia are unlikely to make any major change. Namibia coach Pierre de Bruyn says they will take the learnings from the defeat against Afghanistan and improve on those points. “Tomorrow is going to be a great experience for the players but we need to be 20% better,” he adds. “You don’t have a lot of time to harp on it [the defeat against Afghanistan], you need to reassess quickly, you need to reset.”