VIDEO | T20 World Cup - Pakistan players enter Namibia dressing room, exhibit stunning Spirit of Cricket
In a wonderful gesture, members of Pakistan cricket team entered the Namibia dressing room and motivated their players for playing 'some brilliant cricket'. Pakistan defeated Namibia by 45 runs in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday to become the first team to qualify for the T20 World Cup 2021 semi-final.
After a slow start Pakistan came all guns blazing to post a 190-run target for Namibia, who are playing their first-ever T20 World Cup. Namibia bowlers were extremely disciplined in the Powerplay overs, giving away just 29 runs from it. However, experineced openers Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan played the waiting game to perfection. The duo partnered for 113 runs for the first wicket. Rizwan collected as many as 24 runs in the 20th over as Pakistan innings ended on a high.
Namibia lost only five wickets during the run chase but fell 45 runs short of the target. With the defeat, the minnows slipped to the fourth spot and are virtually out of the semi-finals race. They now face New Zealand and India on November 5 and 8 respectively.
However, their run at the ICC showpiece event has been magical and inspiring. Namibia defied all odds to finish second in a group comprising Sri Lanka, Ireland and Netherlands in the qualifying stage. The team defeated Ireland to register their first-ever win over a Test playing nation. They also won their first Super 12s match against Scotland.
Pakistan players were full of praises for the Namibian team on Tuesday. In the post-match presentation ceremony and in the post-match press conference, Mohammad Rizwan, who hit unbeaten 79 in the match, lauded the opposition bowlers.
Also, in a terrific display of 'Spirit of Cricket' The members of Pakistan cricket team including the likes of Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Hafeez, Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Ali and Shadab Khan entered the Namibia dressing and motivated them after the match. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has shared a video of the same.
#SpiritofCricket - Pakistan team visited Namibia dressing room to congratulate them on their journey in the @T20WorldCup#WeHaveWeWill | #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/4PQwfn3PII
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) November 2, 2021
The video which shows Namibia players clicking pictures with their Pakistan counterparts has got over eight lakh views on Twitter.