COLOMBO: Dashing opener Sahibzada Farhan hit a magnificent unbeaten century to help Pakistan seal the final Super Eight berth at the T20 World Cup with a thumping 102-run win over Namibia at the Sinhalese Sports Club ground in Colombo on Wednesday.

Right-hander Sahibzada cracked 100 not out off 58 balls with four sixes and 10 fours as Pakistan posted a solid 199-3 off the stipulated overs before they routed Namibia for 97.

Pakistan’s victory took them to six points from four games in Group ‘A’ and eliminated the United States, who finished with four points. India have topped the group with eight points as they defeated the Netherlands in the group’s final game later on Wednesday.

The defending champions India, South Africa, Zimbabwe and the West Indies will play each other in the Super Eights Group 1, hosted in India.

Pakistan play New Zealand (Feb 21), England (Feb 24) and co-hosts Sri Lanka (Feb 28) in Group 2, hosted in Sri Lanka.

After a morale-shattering 61-run defeat against India, Pakistan needed a victory to avoid an early exit, which was achieved with ease as spinners Usman Tariq (4-16) and Shadab Khan (3-19) tore through the Namibia batting.

Louren Steenkamp scored 23 while Alexander Busing-Volschenk was the only other batsman to reach double figures with 20.

Skipper Salman Agha praised a clinical show.

“It is a complete performance,” said a relieved Salman. “We batted well and [Sahibzada] Farhan anchored the innings. He has been batting well for a while and I am happy that he got his hundred. With the ball we were lethal.”

Namibian skipper Gerhard Erasmus admitted Pakistan’s spin bowlers were too hot to handle.

“It [spin] is a special skill to have, to turn the ball both ways like they do,” said Erasmus.

“I think that’s one of the things we’ll definitely take home and look to improve on.” Sahibzada earlier blasted a six and a four off pace bowler Jack Brassell to enter the 90s before taking a single off Gerhard Erasmus to complete his hundred in the final over.

It was Farhan’s maiden T20 ton and he became only the second Pakistani to score a T20 World Cup century after Ahmed Shehzad in 2014 against Bangladesh.

All-rounder Shadab Khan, promoted to number five with Babar Azam left out, hit three sixes and a four in his 36 not out off 22 balls as Paki­stan smashed 42 from the last three overs.

Sahibzada put on 40 for the opening wicket with Saim Ayub (14) before consolidating the innings during a 67-run second wicket stand with captain Salman (38).

Pakistan also left out pace bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi after a poor show in the first three matches, including conceding 31 in two overs in the defeat against India on Sunday.

Sahibzada’s ton means this is the first T20 World Cup in which three centuries have been scored.

He followed Sri Lanka’s Pathum Nissanka, who scored a hundred against Australia on Monday, and Canada’s Yuvraj Sama who reached three figures against New Zealand on Tuesday.

‘ON RIGHT TRACK TO WIN WORLD CUP’

Speaking after the match, Shadab said Pakistan believed they could go on and win the T20 World Cup after their best performance of the tournament secured the last Super Eights berth.

“We didn’t take this game lightly after so much talk about one match against India,” said Shadab.

“We are on the right track to achieve the goal of winning the World Cup and we are following a process.”

Shadab warned that the Super Eights, which Pakistan will begin with a match against New Zealand in Colombo on Saturday before facing England and co-hosts Sri Lanka next week, will be a step up.

“There are eight good teams so it will be a tough stage and all matches will be high-pressure games,” the player insisted.

Scoreboard

PAKISTAN:

Sahibzada Farhan not out 100

Saim Ayub c Green b Brassell 14

Salman Ali Agha c Erasmus b Brassell 38

Khawaja Nafay c&b Erasmus 5

Shadab Khan not out 36

EXTRAS (LB-2, W-4) 6

TOTAL (for three wickets, 20 overs) 199

DID NOT BAT: Babar Azam, Usman Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Salman Mirza, Usman Tariq

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-40 (Saim), 2-107 (Salman), 3-118 (Nafay)

BOWLING: JJ Smit 3-0-28-0, Erasmus 3-0-25-1 (1w), Trumpelmann 4-0-36-0 (1w), Brassell 4-0-48-2, Myburgh 2-0-27-0 (1w), Scholtz 4-0-33-0 (1w)

NAMIBIA:

L. Steenkamp c U. Khan b Nawaz 23

J. Frylinck b Mirza 9

J. N. Loftie-Eaton run out 5

G. Erasmus c U. Khan b Shadab 7

A. Busing-Volschenk st U. Khan b Shadab 20

JJ Smit c Shadab b U. Tariq 9

Z. Green c Saim b Shadab 7

R. Trumpelmann b U. Tariq 0

W. Myburgh c U. Khan b U. Tariq 8

B. Scholtz b U. Tariq 1

J. Brassell not out 1

EXTRAS (LB-3, W-4) 7

TOTAL (all out, 17.3 overs) 97

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-32 (Frylinck), 2-39 (Loftie-Eaton), 3-43 (Steenkamp), 4-49 (Erasmus), 5-79 (Busing-Volschenk), 6-81 (Smit), 7-81 (Trumpelmann), 8-95 (Green), 9-96 (Scholtz)

BOWLING: Faheem 2-0-16-0, Mirza 2-0-11-1 (1w), Saim 2-0-10-0, Nawaz 4-0-22-1 (2w), Shadab 4-0-19-3 (1w), U. Tariq 3.3-1-16-4

RESULT: Pakistan won by 102 runs.

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Sahibzada Farhan

Published in Dawn, February 19th, 2026