🏏ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026: M 26: USA vs NAM at Chennai🏏

🏏ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026: M 26: USA vs NAMIBIA at Chennai🏏

USA are currently placed at the 3rd position on the Group A points table with 1 win and 2 losses to their credit.
The top run scorer for USA in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 is Shubham Ranjane with 136 runs to his name.
The top wicket taker for USA in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 is Shadley van Schalkwyk with 11 scalps under his belt.

USA have won their previous match against Netherlands by a huge margin of 93 runs.

USA batted first and they posted a total of 196 for 6 in 20 overs. Monank Patel and Shayan Jahangir started off quite well.

Patel made 36, while Jahangir scored 24 runs. Saiteja Mukkamalla then took the responsibility of taking USA to a huge total. He smashed 79 runs off just 51 balls to help USA get to a massive total of 196 in their innings.

During the chase, Netherlands lost their way right from the outset. They were restricted to 66 for 5 in the 8th over itself. Harmeet Singh picked up 4 wickets while Shadley van Schalkwyk shone bright once again with the ball.

He accounted for 3 scalps and he was the one who triggered a collapse for Netherlands. None of the batters managed to take responsibility of the situation and Netherlands were eventually bowled out for 103, losing the match by 93 runs.

Current Form Namibia:

Namibia are currently placed at the bottom most position on Group A points table with 2 losses to their credit.

The top run scorer for Namibia in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 is Jan Nicol Loftie Eaton with 55 runs to his name.

The top wicket taker for Namibia in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 is Gerhard Erasmus with 4 scalps under his belt.

Namibia have lost their previous match against India by a huge margin of 93 runs.

India batted first and they posted a total of 209 for 9 in 20 overs. Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson played really well at the top of the order. Kishan made 61 off 24 balls, hitting 6 fours and 5 sixes while Samson smashed 22 off just 8 deliveries. Hardik Pandya also played his part and smashed 52 runs in just 28 balls to help India get to 209 in their innings.

During the chase, Louren Steenkamp and Jan Frylinck gave a stable but very slow start to Namibia. They stitched a partnership of 33 runs for the 1st wicket. Steenkamp made 29 off 20 balls while Frylinck scored 22 off 15 deliveries but both got out at a wrong time. After their dismissals, the Namibian batting simply collapsed and they were eventually bowled out for just 116, losing the match by 93 runs.

Let's have a look at the squads:

Namibia

Gerhard Erasmus (c), Zane Green, Bernard Scholtz, Ruben Trumpelmann, JJ Smit, Jan Frylinck, Louren Steenkamp, Malan Kruger, Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Jack Brassell, Ben Shikongo, JC Balt, Dylan Leicher, WP Myburgh, Max Heingo. Reserve: Alexander Volschenk.

USA

Monank Patel (c), Jessy Singh, Andries Gous, Shehan Jayasuriya, Milind Kumar, Shayan Jahangir, Saiteja Mukkamala, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Harmeet Singh, Nosthush Kenjige, Shadley Van Schalkwyk, Saurabh Netravalkar, Ali Khan, Mohammad Mohsin, Shubham Ranjane.

Cricket Match Predictions* - PrePlay

Who will win the toss? – Namibia

Who will win? – USA

Top Batter (Runs Scored) – Saiteja Mukkamalla (USA), Gerhard Erasmus (Namibia)

Top Bowler (Wickets taken) - Harmeet Singh (USA), Bernard Scholtz (Namibia)

Most Sixes – Shubham Ranjane (USA), Jonathan Smit (Namibia)

Player of the Match – Saiteja Mukkamalla (USA)

Team Scores Batting first – USA 200+, Namibia 170+

Match Handicap : USA

Key Battles:

Saiteja Mukkamala vs Ruben Trumpelmann:

Individual performances of these two players can play a crucial role in deciding the winner of the match. If Saiteja Mukkamala starts to score runs, then the USA cricket team can take a breath of relief. But he will have to face Ruben Trumpelmann, who can do early damage with the new ball.

Milind Kumar vs Bernard Scholtz:

The United States cricket team is eagerly waiting for an explosive innings from Milind Kumar. In the past, Kumar played multiple match-turning knocks for winning causes. He will have to do the same against Namibia this Sunday. A tough contest between the batter and Namibia's Bernard Scholtz is possible.

Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton vs Shubham Ranjane:

Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton is one of the pillars of the Namibia batting order. If the USA wants to limit the opposition's progress on the scoreboard, then they have to take the batter's wicket as early as possible. For that task, Shubham Ranjane will be the best man to do it.

USA vs NAM: Weather Report in Chennai:

According to AccuWeather, there is no chance of rain throughout the day. A clear sky is expected during the match time, which is scheduled to start at 3.00 PM IST. During the match hours, the temperature is expected to be from 25 to 28 degrees Celsius.

USA vs NAM Pitch Report at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai:

If we look at the previous few matches at this venue, then it is expected to see a spin-friendly pitch again, where spinners from both sides can get the opportunity to trick the batters at a significant rate. Because of the nature of the pitch, pacers can try a lot of pace variations to control the run rate of the opposite team. After the power plays, spinners of both teams will try to gain as much as possible from the pitch. Because of the timing of the match, the dew factor may not interrupt the match.

The iconic venue has hosted three matches in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026, with all being high scoring encounters. The teams chasing the total have won two encounters, suggesting that the pitch gets batting-friendly as the game progresses.

USA vs NAM Head-to-Head Records:

In T20Is, the United States and Namibia faced off on multiple occasions. According to stats, these two national cricket teams confronted each other 5 times in this format in total, where Namibia got wins in 3 matches and the United States in the remaining 2 games. Though the recent momentum is slightly tilted towards the USA.

USA vs NAM last 5 match results:

1. On October 5, 2024, at Windhoek, the U.S.A. defeated Namibia by 6 wickets.

2. On October 1, 2024, at Windhoek, the U.S.A. defeated Namibia by 13 runs.

3. On July 13, 2015, at Belfast, Namibia defeated the U.S.A. by 7 wickets.

4. On November 17, 2013, at Tolerance Oval, Namibia defeated the U.S.A. by 35 runs.

5. On March 15, 2012, at ICCA 2 Dubai, Namibia defeated the U.S.A. by 17 runs.

After an emphatic win against Netherlands, team USA will lock horns against Namibia in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on February 15.

It has been a fairly successful tournament for the USA, even after suffering two losses against Pakistan and India respectively. They put on a spirited performance against India at the Wankhede Stadium before Suryakumar Yadav’s brilliance denied them a famous victory. They also had a decent outing against Pakistan, losing by 32 runs but having certain moments in the game. In their recent encounter against Netherlands, though, they managed to go over the line, winning the match by a mammoth margin of 93 runs.

Namibia, on the other hand, are on a brink of an elimination after losing their first two matches. They faced a seven wicket defeat against Netherlands, followed by 93-run thumping by India. So, this will be a must-win game for The Eagles.