🏏ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026: M 26: USA vs NAM at Chennai🏏 - Page 2

Probable Best Batter: Shubham Ranjane

USA's middle-order batter Shubham Ranjane has been a revelation in the tournament In three matches, the right-hander has scored 136 runs, maintaining incredible consistency. He will be the batter to watch out for in this crucial encounter.

Probable Best Bowler: Shadley van Schalkwyk

Tournament's leading wicket taker currently, Shadley van Schalkwyk will be the bowler to watch out for in the upcoming encounter. In three matches, the right-arm pacer has picked up 11 wickets, and he will look to continue his dream form.

Originally posted by: Viswasruti

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 Mohs jkin, Shubham Ranjane.

I am US citizen lived in india, wish from my heart ❤️ USA gains 2 vital point tonight i count on Shadley Van Schalkwyk, Who took 11 wkts in on going World cup. I wish Ali khan can also Gets all 4 overs

( my Neighbour in india in Anand, Gujarat ( monank presently lived in USA) monank patel 's ( usa captain) grandpa lived in V. V nagar, Anand.mr Vitthalbhai patel, who also wish USA can Qualify in Super 8 by feb 21st.

Mr, respected V. Patel, i wish your Grandson scores some more runs & USA qualify further but its tuff race in NRR for USA

Buoyant USA look to stay alive in Super Eights race

Namibia, meanwhile, are winless after two matches

USA will hope to keep Group A interesting

Big picture - USA with an outside chance

Whoever wins India vs Pakistan will go through to the Super Eights, which has implcations for the rest of Group A, in particular USA. They'll want whoever slips up in that match to slip up again. If that happens, a most unlikely team might just find a way through to the next round. In this Valentine's season, even the T20 World Cup is playing a bit of will they, won't they.

USA are at the centre of the drama. They came into this tournament with enough administrative upheaval that the ICC had to step in and take charge of their selection. Then they lost one of their batters after he was linked to a corruption incident. Romcom wisdom is ironclad. You always have to be careful around bad boys. India almost weren't, Netherlands certainly weren't, and now we have a situation where USA are side-eying the Super Eights. But first they have to beat Namibia, who have played two and lost two and will be looking to channel that hurt into something tangible on the field.

Form guide

USA W L L W W (last five completed matches, most recent first)

Namibia: L L W L W

Jan Frylinck will want a substantial score after twice failing to build on starts.

In the spotlight - Frylinck and Ranjane

Jan Frylinck made the highest score by a Namibia batter in T20Is when he hit 134 in the Africa Region Qualifier against Nigeria in September 2025. He showed good form in the World Cup warm-up matches last week, scoring 88 against Scotland in Bengaluru. At the tournament proper, he's made 30 off 26 and 22 off 15 and will want to do more.

Shubham Ranjane followed up a half-century against Pakistan with an unbeaten 48 off 24 against Netherlands. He exemplifies how the year-round T20 league version of cricket can pull players up. The allrounder who couldn't break through with Mumbai now has contracts in SA20, ILT20 and MLC and came to the World Cup on the back of a playoffs run with Joburg Super Kings.

Stats and trivia - Monank 1000 watch

• USA have played two T20Is against Namibia and won both of them.
• Bernard Scholtz has 164 T20 wickets. The next best on the Namibia team is JJ Smit with 94
• Monank Patel is 41 away of 1000 runs in T20Is. He is USA's highest scorer in the format ahead of former captain Stephen Taylor, who has 822 runs.

Quotes

"I think we are ahead. We had a great practice session under lights [on Friday] and in [Saturday's] game, we got used to the conditions. So overall, I think we are ahead of Namibia."

USA coach Pubudu Dassanayake believes his team has an edge playing in Chennai

"We've been to three T20 World Cups already. So we're sort of just building on that. My biggest job was just getting the guys in a good mental space. They're already playing good cricket. And then we just tweaked a couple of things, especially with our batting units, trying to spend more time at the crease, the options that they take."Namibia coach Craig Williams on his responsibilities.

Probable Best Performers

Key batter to watch out for: Shubham Ranjane

Shubham Ranjane has been a standout performer in the tournament, amassing 136 runs in three matches. His consistency has been remarkable, making him a key player to watch in this important clash.

Key bowler to watch out for: Shadley van Schalkwyk

Shadley van Schalkwyk, the tournament’s current leading wicket-taker, will be a major threat in the next match. With 11 wickets in three games, the right-arm pacer will be keen to continue his fantastic run.

Match Prediction

Both teams will be eager to bounce back after mixed results in the tournament. The pitch conditions could play a key role, with the team adapting to them quickly likely to gain an advantage. USA look slightly more in control, but Namibia will be determined to make a strong comeback.

Illness and injury play havoc with USA's plans

Dealing with a quick turnaround between matches, USA are hoping batter Andries Gous recovers from an illness that's been sweeping the camp, and is ready to play against Namibia on Monday.

"You can see my throat also [is bad]," head coach Pubudu Dassanayake said after USA got past Netherlands in Chennai less than 24 hours ago. "The whole team is struggling basically. Everybody is struggling for the last few days. Andries was not fit to play. The last couple of days, he was throwing up and struggling with fever. Hopefully, he'll get through.

"But it's not only him. The whole group has a few things. Like Ali [Khan], we played him today, but he's also not 100%. Slowly, I'm hoping that things will get better for the next game."