New Delhi, Feb 9 (IANS) The Netherlands will aim for a quick turnaround when they face Namibia in the tenth match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium here on Tuesday, as both sides look to gain early momentum in the group stage.
The Dutch suffered a narrow three-wicket defeat against Pakistan in their opening match in Colombo. Despite the loss, the Netherlands showed competitive intent, once again underlining their ability to challenge higher-ranked opponents.
Against Pakistan, the Netherlands posted 147, with captain Scott Edwards leading the way with a top score of 37. Bas de Leede and Colin Ackermann provided momentum in the middle overs, though the side was unable to fully capitalise on a solid platform and fell short of a bigger total.
Despite the team’s bowlers putting continuous pressure on Pakistan with wicket-taking deliveries, in the end, Faheem Ashraf played an impressive knock to hand the Netherlands a defeat in their first game.
On the other hand, Namibia begin their fourth T20 World Cup campaign with a settled core and growing experience on the global stage. Led by Gerhard Erasmus, the side relies heavily on its all-round strength, with Jan Frylinck and JJ Smit offering balance and flexibility across conditions.
The batting will again rely on stability at the top from Louren Steenkamp and Malan Kruger, with wicketkeeper Zane Green expected to steady the middle order. Young batters such as Jan Balt and Dylan Leicher add unpredictability, while Nicol Loftie-Eaton’s dual role strengthens the balance.
The match will start at 11 am IST.
Squads
Netherlands: Scott Edwards (C), Max O’Dowd, Zach Lion-Cachet, Colin Ackermann, Bas de Leede, Michael Levitt, Timm van der Gugten, Saqib Zulfiqar, Noah Croes, Logan van Beek, Aryan Dutt, Fred Klaassen, Kyle Klein, Paul van Meekeren, Roelof van der Merwe.
Namibia: Malan Kruger, Gerhard Erasmus (C), Jan Frylinck, Louren Steenkamp, Jan Balt, Dylan Leicher, JJ Smit, Zane Green, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Bernard Scholtz, Ruben Trumpelmann, Jack Brassell, Ben Shikongo, Willem Myburgh, Max Heingo.
11th Match: New Zealand vs United Arab Emirates, MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai (3:00 PM IST)
New Zealand will look to extend their winning run when they face the United Arab Emirates in their second match of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 at the iconic MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Tuesday.
New Zealand started their campaign on a positive note, defeating Afghanistan by five wickets on Sunday. Opener Tim Seifert played an impressive knock of 65 runs while chasing a target of 183 and was well supported by all-rounder Glenn Phillips, who scored 42 runs off just 25 balls.
On the other side, the UAE will be playing their first match of the tournament. The side is returning to the World Cup after missing qualification for the 2024 edition. The UAE recently beat Bangladesh in a bilateral T20I series and gave Pakistan a scare in the Asia Cup, and they will be hoping to add more notable scalps as they begin their campaign.
Squads
New Zealand: Tim Seifert (w), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner (c), James Neesham, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Jacob Duffy, Ish Sodhi, Kyle Jamieson, Michael Bracewell, Devon Conway.
United Arab Emirates: Aryansh Sharma (w), Muhammad Waseem (c), Muhammad Zohaib, Alishan Sharafu, Harshit Kaushik, Mayank Kumar, Dhruv Parashar, Muhammad Arfan, Haider Ali, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Rohid Khan, Simranjeet Singh, Sohaib Khan, Muhammad Farooq.
12th Match: Pakistan vs USA, Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo (7:00 PM IST)
Pakistan will look for revenge when they face the United States of America in their second match of the T20 World Cup 2026 at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo on Tuesday.
Pakistan began their campaign with a close three-wicket victory against the Netherlands. When they face the USA, memories will resurface of the 2024 T20 World Cup, where Pakistan were beaten by the hosts in a Super Over, producing one of the biggest upsets in the tournament’s history.
The USA entered the match after a dominant bowling performance against defending champions India in their opening game. However, the team’s batting did not live up to expectations, resulting in a 29-run defeat. They will look to bounce back and challenge Pakistan’s batting line-up on a bowling-friendly surface.
Squads
Pakistan: Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Agha (c), Babar Azam, Usman Khan (w), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Salman Mirza, Abrar Ahmed, Fakhar Zaman, Naseem Shah, Khawaja Nafay, Usman Tariq.
United States of America: Andries Gous (w), Saiteja Mukkamalla, Monank Patel (c), Milind Kumar, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Shubham Ranjane, Harmeet Singh, Mohammad Mohsin, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Ali Khan, Saurabh Netravalkar, Shehan Jayasuriya, Nosthush Kenjige, Jasdeep Singh, Shayan Jahangir.
–IANS
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