Pakistan face must-win test against Namibia to keep Super 8 hopes alive

It has been a chastening few days for Salman Agha's side. After all the talk of this being a far stronger unit than the one that lost three times to India in the Asia Cup, the 61-run defeat on Sunday felt familiar. Agreed, their meetings with India in the 2022 and 2024 T20 World Cups were close contests but Pakistan were unable to cross the finish line. And since the Asia Cup, the trend has only solidified, with India recording four comfortable wins in succession.

Criticism has followed swiftly. Senior pros Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi were well below their best in the last outing and there are legitimate questions around their place in the side. Shaheen was expensive and unable to exert control either in the PowerPlay or at the death, conceding 1 for 31 in his two overs. Babar, meanwhile, again appeared vulnerable against spin, an area that has troubled him since his return to the T20I side after being left out of the Asia Cup.

Namibia are already out of contention but this is an opportunity to bow out on a high against a Pakistan side low on confidence. They have enough issues of their own though. Ruben Trumpelmann's dip in form has hurt, with Namibia being the least effective PowerPlay bowling side of the tournament. With the bat, captain Gerhard Erasmus's modest returns have mirrored the team's struggles in three straight defeats.

With one match to go, though, there is still a lot to play for. As co-hosts of the 2027 ODI World Cup, Namibia have a bigger stage on the horizon and this is a chance to take back lessons and momentum before the world comes knocking on their door.

What to expect: It's the same pitch on which Ireland made 235/5 against Oman and it's set to be batting-friendly again, with Namibia coach Craig Williams impressed by the nice, evenly rolled covering of grass on the track. The playing area here is smaller than at R. Premadasa and the pitch is not at the centre of the square, so expect a lot of runs through the shorter side of the ground. It's been overcast in Colombo and some rain showers are expected in the lead-up to the match.

Will Pakistan continue to stick with Shaheen Afridi and Babar Azam? If the team management decides otherwise, Salman Mirza and Fakhar Zaman are more than ready to step in, if their practice session on match eve is anything to go by.

They will be waiting on the fitness of Ben Shikongo, who missed the last match with an injury but seemed to be bowling just short of full tilt in the practice session. Willem Myburgh, who came in for him, did well with figures of 2 for 22.

We have put ourselves in really good positions but our batting unit hasn't been able to close those death overs... Look, Pakistan is a good team guys, let's be honest. Probably just going through a little bit of bad form but they'll be having the same meetings as us and like anybody else who goes through a dip in T20 cricket. And we must not forget that they were playing against the No.1 team, that is India: Craig Williams, Namibia coach

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