T20 World Cup 2026: ‘We have worked on our mistakes’ – Usman Tariq confident of Pakistan’s turnaround vs Namibia after tough loss to India

Usman Tariq asserted that the Pakistani players have worked on the mistakes they committed against India and have the confidence of beating any side they are up against. The Men in Green were outplayed by arch-rivals India at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday, February 15. That defeat has made Wednesday’s Pakistan versus Namibia clash a must-win affair for Salman Ali Agha’s men.

Despite the 61-run defeat against defending champions India, Tariq said that the team’s spirit has not been broken and they are ready to not repeat the same errors on Wednesday.

“Lifting the team is only difficult when you don’t work on your mistakes committed in the last game,” Tariq told reporters.

“We have worked on our mistakes so I think it will not be a tough task. We have a resolve not to commit the same mistakes again,” he added.

Tariq empathised with the Pakistani fans who have expressed their disappointment vehemently after the crushing defeat against India. He assured them that the Pakistan team will put on a better performance whenever they get another chance to play against India.

“We can feel their (fans’) disappointment because the match is watched by the whole nation. So we feel their pain but I am sure when we play them (India) next we will put up a better show,” the 28-year-old asserted.

Usman Tariq backs Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi despite flop show against India

Tariq rubbished reports of veterans Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi getting the axe from the playing XI after their insipid performance against India.

“Both Azam and Shaheen have won many matches for Pakistan so if they did not perform well in one game we should not write them off,” said Tariq.

Pakistan and Namibia have faced each other only once in T20I cricket. The former defeated the African side by 45 runs in the 2021 T20 World Cup.

“Whoever we play we have the confidence to beat them and our goal is to play the final and win the cup which we will try our best to achieve,” the mystery spinner added.