Pakistan captain Salman Agha confirmed at the toss that there are two changes in the XI, with Salman Mirza and Khawaja Nafay coming in, while Shaheen Afridi and Abrar Ahmed miss out.
However, the skipper did not specify any injury concern regarding Shaheen Afridi. Since no fitness issue was mentioned, he is deemed fit and available, suggesting this is likely a tactical or workload-based decision rather than a forced omission.
Is this a rest call ahead of Super 8 hopes?
With Pakistan still in the race for Super 8 qualification, the management may have opted to rest Shaheen as a precautionary move — especially if they are confident of handling Namibia without their premier fast bowler.
If Pakistan win and move closer to sealing qualification, the decision to rest Shaheen could turn out to be a smart workload-management call ahead of potentially tougher Super 8 fixtures.
However, if Pakistan lose, questions could arise about the team’s approach — particularly whether resting a key strike bowler in a must-win scenario reflected overconfidence while still hanging in between qualification uncertainty.
No official reason given
Importantly, Salman Agha did not cite injury or fitness concerns during the toss. That strongly indicates Shaheen has simply been rested as part of squad rotation rather than sidelined due to any setback.
Whether this gamble pays off or not will largely depend on how Pakistan’s bowling unit performs without their spearhead in this crucial clash.