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T20 World Cup | Pakistan look to fine tune machine against glory searching Namibia

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Pakistan will be up against Namibia in the 31st match of the ICC T20 World Cup in the Sheikh Zayed Stadium of Abu Dhabi. A night game scheduled to start at 6 PM local time, this will be Pakistan's chance to seal their place in the semi-finals of the competition. 

Namibia on the other hand come into the game having lost their last one terribly against Afghanistan. The Gerhard Erasmus-led team came into the Super 12 after a strong show in the preliminary stage. Their famed left handed pace bowling attack has impressed many - and without a shadow of the doubt, they have punched above their weight. However, the Super 12s have been a different gravy all together and Namibia’s 62-run loss against Afghanistan speaks a lot about the level of competition they are playing in.

They will be up against Pakistan in the same venue they lost to Afghanistan, however, they thankfully would not be playing a day game. Namibia’s pace bowling quadrant of Ruben Trumpelmann, JJ Smit, Jan Frylinck and David Wiese have been in song in the last two games and have picked up a total of 10 wickets in the last two matches. Trumpelmann has been the pick among them and with a little hint of swing he can do the damage early on.


This game will be Namibia’s litmus test in this World Cup given they face New Zealand and India in their remaining three matches. But this game means to them much more than that. Captain Gerhard Erasmus has gone on record several times explaining how important this tournament is for the cricketing culture of their country. They would be looking to set an example on 2nd November and play fearless cricket to make a name for themselves in the tournament.

While there isn’t a lot of hope for them to emerge victorious, on the off chance they can, they will be able to make the group standings a little more interesting.

Match Details

Pakistan vs Namibia

Match 31, Super 12, Group 2

Date & Time - 2 November, 7:30 PM IST (6 PM Local)

Venue - Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Pitch Report

With lots of dew starting to fall in the UAE, Abu Dhabi should play a good batting wicket. It is very possible that the ground will not assist much movement off the air, but bowling into the pitch might help the bowlers extract uneven bounce.

Dew has played a big part in the last few games, so the toss might be a big factor once again. 

If you win the toss - bowl first.

Team News

Pakistan

Pakistan have had a near perfect tournament till now. Well, near perfect. The form of Hasan Ali has been a concern for the team, given the bowler has gone for 10 RPO on two occasions already. His deficiencies have not come forth in a drastic manner due to the exceptional execution from Haris Rauf and Shaheen Shah Afridi, but on a bad day, Hasan Ali could cost Pakistan.

Things aren’t just limited to Hasan Ali, Mohammad Hafeez has been found fielders on two straight occasions on the boundary line. One could argue that Devon Conway’s catch against New Zealand was out of the world but the fact remains that Hafeez has not found his range in the tournament.


Apart from these, Pakistan have pretty much found their rhythm and would look to make use of the game to fine-tune their batting approach.

Probable XI

Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Babar Azam (c), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf

Namibia

Namibia’s hope would be pinned on David Wiese who has been quite a well-known commodity in the Pakistan cricketing circles over the past few years. He has made a name for himself playing in the Pakistan Super League and Namibia would be relying on his experience against Pakistan.

Probable XI

Stephan Baard, Zane Green (wk), Craig Williams, Gerhard Erasmus (c), David Wiese, JJ Smit, Michael van Lingen, Jan Frylinck, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Ruben Trumpelmann, Bernard Scholtz

CE Fantasy XI

Zane Green, Mohd Rizwan, Babar Azam (c), Craig Williams, Gerhard Erasmus, Mohd Hafeez, David Wiese, JJ Smit, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi (vc), Haris Rauf

Discover more

Top Stories
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Coach Russell Domingo urges Bangladesh to focus on 'process' and get rid of 'obsession' of winning

After making an on and off start to their T20 World Cup campaign, Bangladesh finally got on to a good run of form to qualify for the Super 12 stage of the tournament. However, their limitations were only masked by the brilliance of Shakib Al Hasan in the qualifying round which could not be hidden in the main stage against top sides. Bangladesh have lost all their Super 12 games and now are on the brink of elimination from the tournament, but their coach Russell Domingo is choosing to see the bright side of it and said that Bangladesh were ahead in most part of their games against Sri Lanka and West Indies before losing the plot. He said that the team needs to see positives out of the close games they played and only that will enable them to find out the mistakes they committed at what he called “crucial stages” of the games. "We have played against past champions Sri Lanka, England and West Indies. They are tough sides. In two of those games, we were on top for almost 80-90% of those games. We have to look at the positives. We had Sri Lanka and West Indies under pressure. We didn't finish well with the bat against West Indies. We didn't finish well with the ball against Sri Lanka. "We have to focus on the positive aspects, and then limit the mistakes. We made mistakes in crucial stages." Domingo also tried to change the outlook of the Bangladesh side and said that the players must not see every game and opportunity with the “obsession” of winning. He lamented that focusing more on results and obsessing about winning the games doesn’t allow players mental space to follow the right “process” needed to produce the results they are after. He said that players need to disconnect from the result and focus on what they need to execute on the field in order to make a difference. "We know there's an obsession with winning and disappointment when you don't win. Our focus is the process and how we are going to achieve that win," Domingo said on the eve of the South Africa game. "Everybody is trying to win every single game but when you are focused only on that, you lose track of the things you need to do to get that win. I think we have to focus on our skills and processes in tomorrow's game. If we do that, hopefully, the result goes our way,” Domingo added. Bangladesh are scheduled to play South Africa in their next game and another loss at the hands of Proteas will end their journey in the tournament. Bangladesh were never on the top of their game with the top order batsmen lacking form and not allowing bowlers cushioning of extra runs to put pressure on opposition batting lineups.

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T20 World Cup | SA vs BAN: Underdog at start, Proteas desperate to sustain hard-earned consistency

The buildup There is no other team that have attracted more headlines for non-cricketing reasons than South Africa and similarly, there is no better side than them that have played like a team in the ongoing edition of the T20 World Cup. They haven’t had a batting performance such as of Jos Buttler or bowling performances as of Pakistan or England so far in the tournament, but they have had just enough of good performances, collectively, as a team to stand among one of the firm favourites to qualify for the semi-finals alongside England. Make no mistake, they were not the favourites to start the tournament as West Indies and England were the two sides expected to emerge of the Group 1 famously described as “group of death”. What they had come into the tournament though was good form, as a unit after a troika of series wins over the Windies, Ireland and Sri Lanka. If the performances of behemoths such as West Indies and India have highlighted the importance of form in the shortest format and the tournament with such quick turnaround time, South Africa’s rise and rise in the tournament also underlined the need for good form. They have seen one or two batsmen taking the onus of rising under pressure while the bowling attack has hunted in pairs and the Proteas are all but just one game away from the door of qualification, which will be nothing short of staggering achievement for them. Their next opponent on the path of qualification are Bangladesh and they have had a complete contrast of a tournament compared to the Proteas. They have been abominable in the field, timid with the bat and inconsistent with the ball to have any sort of impact on the Super 12 stage of the tournament. They had lost the first game of their tournament that kind of suggested the holes in their promises but the big stage of Super 12 has clearly ripped open all the faultlines in their side. Now, they are already without their biggest superstar and are pushed against the wall just to salvage some pride as the race for the qualification to semi-finals has already finished for them. Match details South Africa vs Bangladesh, Match no.: 30, Super 12 Group 1 Date and Time: November 02, 02:00 PM LOCAL, 03:30 IST, 10:00 GMT Venue: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi Pitch details The Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi has not been as tricker to bat as the other two pitches in the UAE and stroke makes on both sides should relish the true nature of the surface. However, as this is a day game, the dew factor will be out of the equation and spinners will come in hand for the teams. Bangladesh spinners, in general, would have been considered a better exponents of bowling in spin-friendly conditions but the rise of Tabraiz Shamsi gives South Africa a sort of edge they rarely enjoy in spinning conditions. There have been too many games this tournament that has been decided virtually by the flip of the coin but batsmen can trust themselves to get the chasing job done here in Abu Dhabi. Team News South Africa There were injury concerns for South Africa as both the heroes of the last game—David Miller and Shamsi under the scanner, but there is no communication from the Proteas side which could imply they are fit to go. If they are fit and raring to go, South Africa should not be looking to alter the playing XI and instead will be hoping for the return of form for Quinton de Kock and Rassie van der Dussen that will make their batting unit look stronger, both on paper and on the field. Probable XI Quinton de Kock (WK), Reeza Hendricks, Rassie van der Dussen, Temba Bavuma (C), Aiden Markram, David Miller, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi Bangladesh Bangladesh have been jolted by the injury to Shakib Al Hasan and they will have to rely on the other two experienced batsmen—skipper Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur Rahim to do the heavy lifting. Their coach Russell Domingo has confirmed that Shamim Hossain will replace Shakib and is likely to bat lower down the order putting greater onus on the likes of Soumya Sarkar, Liton Das and the experienced pros. There were signs of Liton Das coming back to some rhythm and the Bangla Tigers would be hoping he will get his mojo and timing back. Probable XI Mohammad Naim, Soumya Sarkar, Liton Das (WK), Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah (C), Afif Hossain, Shamim Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Shoriful Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman CE Fantasy XI Quinton de Kock (WK), Mushfiqur Rahim, Temba Bavuma, Rassie van der Dussen, Mohammad Naim, Dwaine Pretorious, Shoriful Islam, Tabraiz Shamsi, Nasum Ahmed Captain: Aiden Markram Vice-captain: Anrich Nortje