Pakistan finished their 20 overs at 199/3 against Namibia in the 35th Match of Group A at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo.
The match is part of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, with Pakistan electing to bat first after winning the toss.
The innings was powered by a brilliant unbeaten century from Sahibzada Farhan, who scored 100 runs off 58 balls. His knock included 11 fours and four sixes, finishing with a strike rate of 172.41.
Farhan anchored the innings from start to finish and accelerated in the final overs to push Pakistan close to the 200-run mark.
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With this century, Farhan has now become only the second Pakistani batter to score a hundred in a T20 World Cup. He joins Ahmed Shehzad, who previously achieved the milestone for Pakistan.
Farhan also registered the fastest century by a Pakistani in T20 World Cup history. He reached his hundred in 57 balls, surpassing Ahmed Shehzad’s 58-ball century record. This achievement makes Farhan’s knock the quickest by a Pakistani batter in the tournament’s history.
In addition to his century record, Farhan has now scored the most runs in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026, strengthening his position as one of the standout performers of the tournament so far.
The right-hander has also hit the most sixes in this edition of the World Cup, underlining his aggressive approach at the top of the order. His ability to combine consistency with power-hitting has played a key role in Pakistan’s campaign.
Shadab Khan confident Pakistan will stay in World Cup until final
Pakistan made 47/1 during the powerplay. Saim Ayub scored 14 off 12 balls before being dismissed by Jack Brassell in the sixth over. Captain Salman Agha contributed a quick 38 off 23 deliveries, hitting three boundaries and two sixes. He was also dismissed by Brassell.
Khawaja Nafay added five runs before falling to Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus, leaving Pakistan at 118/3 in 13.2 overs. At that stage, Farhan took control of the innings along with Shadab Khan.
Shadab remained not out on 36 from 22 balls, striking one four and three sixes. The pair added 50 runs in just 25 balls for the fourth wicket. Pakistan scored 68 runs in the last five overs at a run rate of 13.60, lifting the total to 199/3.
Jack Brassell was the most successful bowler for Namibia, claiming two wickets for 48 runs in his four overs. Gerhard Erasmus picked up one wicket, conceding 25 runs. However, Namibia’s bowlers struggled to contain the scoring rate, especially in the death overs.
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Despite tight spells from Bernard Scholtz and JJ Smit at times, Pakistan maintained a current run rate of 9.95 throughout the innings.
With 199/3 on the board, Pakistan have set a challenging target for Namibia. The pitch at Colombo has supported stroke play, but scoreboard pressure in a World Cup match can play a key role.
Pakistan’s bowlers will now aim for early breakthroughs to defend the total and secure important points in Group A. Namibia, on the other hand, will need a strong start and consistent partnerships to chase down the target.
All eyes are now on the second innings as this crucial T20 World Cup clash heads into its decisive phase.
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