Abu Dhabi: Superb fifties by openers Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan and another clinical performance by their bowlers helped Pakistan outclass Namibia by 45 runs in a Group 2 match in the Super 12 stage of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup here on Tuesday.
Babar (70) and Rizwan (79 not out) started slowly but exploded into action later in the innings as they raised another hundred-run partnership to help Pakistan post a challenging 189/2 in 20 overs.
Defending the total, Pakistan’s bowlers did not give Namibia batsmen many chances and restricted them to 144/5 in their 20 overs for a comprehensive victory.
This was Pakistan’s fourth victory in four matches, which clinched them a spot in the semi-finals. Namibia lost their second match in three and remained fourth in the table with two points.
Brief scores:
Pakistan 189/2 in 20 overs (Babar 70, Rizwan 79 not out, Mohammed Hafeez 32 not out; David Wiese 1/30) beat Namibia 144/5 in 20 overs (Craig Williams 40, David Wiese 43 not out; Hasan Ali 1-22, Imad Wasim 1/13) by 45 runs.
