USA Crush Namibia By 31 Runs To Register Second Win In T20 World Cup

The United States of America registered their second victory of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 with a commanding 31-run win over Namibia in match 27 at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday.

After winning the toss, USA opted to bat first and produced a powerful batting display to post 199/4 in their 20 overs. They then held their nerve with the ball to restrict Namibia and seal a convincing win.

Captain Monank Patel and wicketkeeper-batter Shayan Jahangir opened the innings for USA. Shayan had an early reprieve when he was dropped at cover point on the third ball of the match. The opening pair capitalised on that opportunity and got off to a solid start, reaching 18/0 after two overs.

The momentum continued as both batters attacked the Namibian bowlers. In the final over of the powerplay, JJ Smith conceded 19 runs, pushing USA to 65/0 at the end of six overs.

Soon after the powerplay, Shayan Jahangir was dismissed by Willem Myburgh for 22 off 18 balls. Patel, however, continued to dominate and brought up his half-century in the ninth over off just 27 balls. USA were well placed at the halfway mark, looking in control.

In the 11th over, Myburgh struck again, dismissing Patel for 52 off 30 balls, an innings that included three fours and three sixes. Saiteja Mukkamalla then launched an aggressive cameo, smashing 10 runs off the first three deliveries of Gerhard Erasmus’s over before being dismissed on the fourth ball.

Sanjay Krishnamurthi took charge in the later overs. He attacked Bernard Scholtz for 20 runs in the 15th over and then hammered Ruben Trumpelmann for 26 runs in the 17th over. Sanjay completed his half-century in just 23 balls, marking the third fastest fifty by an associate batter in T20 World Cup history. He was dropped by Erasmus on the first ball after reaching his milestone but made the most of the reprieve.

Sanjay remained unbeaten on a blazing 68 off 33 balls. Miland Kumar added 28 off 20 deliveries before falling in the final over. USA finished strongly at 199/4.

In reply, Namibia began positively with openers Louren Steenkamp and Jan Frylinck taking the score to 14/0 after two overs. They continued to accelerate and reached 48/0 after five overs, including a 20-run over off Ali Khan.

Namibia ended the powerplay at 57/1, losing Frylinck in the final over of the fielding restrictions to Shadley van Schalkwyk. Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton joined Steenkamp and the pair built a solid partnership, guiding Namibia to 97/1 after 10 overs.

The partnership was broken in the 11th over when skipper Saurabh Netravalkar dismissed Loftie-Eaton for 28 off 17 balls. Steenkamp brought up his fifty in just 33 balls in the same over but was later dismissed by Shubham Ranjane in the 13th over for 58 off 39 balls, an innings featuring five fours and three sixes.

With the set batters back in the pavilion, Namibia’s run rate slowed considerably. They were 125/4 after 15 overs and struggled to keep up with the required rate in the closing stages. Despite their efforts, they finished short of the target as USA secured a 31-run victory to strengthen their campaign in the tournament.

Brief scores: USA 199/4 in 20 overs (Monank Patel 52, Sanjay Krishnamurthi 68 not out; Willem Myburgh 2 wickets) beat Namibia 168/7 in 20 overs (Louren Steenkamp 58, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton 28; Saurabh Netravalkar 1 wicket) by 31 runs.

We Did Our Homework: Monank Patel After USA’s 31-Run Win Over Namibia In T20 World Cup

USA skipper Monank Patel said his team’s preparation played a key role in their 31-run victory over Namibia in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 on Sunday, stating that the side had done its “homework” on every opponent in the tournament.

Speaking after the match, Patel highlighted the importance of planning and adapting to conditions. He felt batting first after winning the toss was crucial, especially with the pitch expected to improve as the game progressed.

“Yes, we did our homework for every team now. We have done it for Namibia, too. I thought winning that toss and batting first, we knew that the wickets were going to get better, so we wanted to make sure that we got a proper start, and I thought the partnership between myself and Shayan was very crucial. And later on, the way Sanjay finished off the innings, great to see him, and we knew that 200 is a good score if we keep good pressure through our bowling,” Patel said after the match.

Krishnamurthi, who was named Player of the Match, explained his approach after the game, saying he focused on calculated aggression rather than taking unnecessary risks.

“I didn’t want to take any unnecessary risks, but I think my strength is that I can hit off the back foot. So I was looking for that ball, looking to rotate. And then I think after 14 overs is when I decided to go,” Krishnamurthi said.