Pakistan becomes the first team to qualify for the semi-finals of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 after routing Namibia on Tuesday in Abu Dhabi.
Pakistan are into the final four after a dominant victory over Namibia in Abu Dhabi.
The Group 2 leaders racked up an impressive 189/2 first up, and Namibia never looked like chasing it down, finishing on 144/5, still 45 runs short.
Babar Azam’s decision to bat first after winning the toss went against the tournament trend, with teams preferring to chase throughout the World Cup so far.
But Pakistan defied the norms to build a formidable target that set up their fourth straight win of the Super 12 stage.
Mohammad Rizwan top-scored with 70 off 49 balls, with his opening partner and captain Azam continuing their brilliant partnership with a 70 off his own.
Mohammad Hafeez added polish to the innings with a sparkling 32 off just 16 late on, with Pakistan scoring an eye-watering 130 runs in the last ten overs.
And in reply Namibia played well against the formidable Pakistan attack, but never looked likely to score fast enough on a tricky surface to chase down 190.
And despite falling short of the target, Namibia had some late fun as David Wiese banged 43* off 31 to finish as his side’s top-scorer.
Victory for Pakistan confirms their spot in the final four of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021.
