Pakistan must beat Namibia on February 18, 2026, at 09:30 GMT in Colombo to keep their T20 World Cup Super 8 hopes alive. The match comes three days after Pakistan were bowled out for 114 chasing India’s 175 for 7, losing by 61 runs at R. Premadasa Stadium. That defeat has put Pakistan in a must-win situation with no room for error.
India have already sealed their Super 8 spot from Group A. Namibia are eliminated with zero points. Pakistan and USA are both on 4 points, but USA hold a much better net run rate of +0.788 compared to Pakistan’s -0.403. That gap is the real problem for Pakistan right now.
What Pakistan Need to Qualify
Pakistan’s path to the Super 8 is straightforward on paper. Win against Namibia and they go through. Lose and they are almost certainly out, because USA’s net run rate advantage is too large to overcome on points alone.
There is also a washout scenario. If rain wipes out the Pakistan vs Namibia match completely, Pakistan qualify automatically because the no-result gives them enough points to finish ahead. But relying on rain is not a plan any team wants to be in. Pakistan must win this game with a good margin to repair their net run rate. The World Cup qualification process makes clear that NRR decides ties when teams finish level on points, so the margin of victory matters too.
Netherlands play India on the same day. If Netherlands beat India and Pakistan lose to Namibia, three teams finish on 4 points. In that case, USA still go through on net run rate. Pakistan cannot benefit from that scenario, given where their NRR sits.
What Went Wrong Against India and What Must Change
Pakistan’s bowling actually did reasonably well against India. Saim Ayub took 3 wickets for 25 runs and kept India to 175 for 7. The problem was the batting. Pakistan lost 4 wickets inside the powerplay while chasing and never recovered. Usman Khan was the only top-eight batter to score more than 15 runs. The rest collapsed.
Pakistan coach Mike Hesson spoke after the defeat and made clear the team needs to reset fast.
“We’re really disappointed we didn’t play as well as we could, but tournament play has its ups and downs. Our job is to pick ourselves up and be ready in two or three days,” Hesson said.
He also pointed to pressure management as the key issue, saying Pakistan must trust their decision-making when opponents put them under pressure.
The PCB’s support for Bangladesh’s Refusal to play the T20 World Cup Games in India has been under scrutiny throughout this tournament, and now the playing group must respond on the field. Against Namibia, Pakistan’s senior batters need to bat with more structure from the start of the powerplay.
Group A Standings Before February 18 Matches
| Team | Matches | Won | Lost | Points | NRR |
| India | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 | +3.050 |
| USA | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | +0.788 |
| Pakistan | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 | -0.403 |
| Netherlands | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | -1.352 |
| Namibia | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | -2.443 |
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Namibia Will Not Be Easy
Namibia are out of the tournament, but they have competed hard in all three of their matches. Pakistan’s batting confidence is low after the India game. Teams in that kind of mental state sometimes struggle against lower-ranked opponents who have nothing to lose and play without pressure.
Pakistan’s bowlers should be good enough to restrict Namibia. But the batting order needs to show up this time. If the top three bat well and build a solid total, Pakistan should win comfortably. If the powerplay collapses again, this match could get uncomfortable quickly.
If Pakistan do qualify, they will enter Super 8 Group Y alongside England, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka. That is a tough draw, but reaching the Super 8 is the first target.
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