Pakistan arrive in Colombo under heavy pressure. Their 61-run loss to India, when they were bowled out for 114 chasing 176, has left them needing to win to keep their Super Eight hopes alive.
Batting has been the main worry. Sahibzada Farhan leads their scorers with 120 runs but was out for a duck against India. Saim Ayub has made 49 runs, Babar Azam 66 (his best an innings of 46 against the USA), and captain Salman Ali Agha only 17 across three matches. Shadab Khan has scored 52 and Usman Khan 44.
The bowling has been a shared effort, with six bowlers taking three or more wickets. Saim Ayub took 3 for 25 against India for five wickets in total, Usman Tariq has four, and Shaheen Afridi has three wickets while conceding at more than 11 an over.
Namibia, already out of the race, have still shown plenty of promise at the top of the order. Steenkamp has 93 runs, Nicol Loftie-Eaton 83 and Jan Frylinck 71, while JJ Smit (53) and captain Gerhard Erasmus (42) are yet to fire. Pakistan have the talent to win, but they need a strong start and disciplined bowling.
