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In a high-stakes encounter at the Sinhalese Sports Club on February 18, 2026, Pakistan‘s quest for a T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 berth took a bizarre and theatrical turn during their must-win clash against Namibia. While the eyes of the world were on the scoreboard, a moment of pure physics and friction stole the spotlight in the opening powerplay.
T20 World Cup 2026:Pakistan’s Sahibzada Farhan loses grip as his bat goes flying against Namibia
The fourth over of the match produced one of the most unusual sights of the T20 World Cup during a delivery from Namibia’s Jack Brassell. Facing a 136.4 km/h delivery slightly wide of off-stump, Pakistan opener Sahibzada Farhan unleashed a ferocious slash aimed at the cover boundary. The force of the swing was so immense that the bat completely slipped from his grasp at the point of impact.
In a scene resembling a javelin throw, the bat flew high into the air, over the wicketkeeper’s head, and landed several meters behind the square-leg region. Despite the equipment malfunction, the ball sliced over the infield safely, allowing Farhan and Saim Ayub to scamper for two runs while the Namibian fielders watched the bat’s trajectory in disbelief.
The reason behind the ‘flying bat’ incident was immediately identified as a lack of grip due to the intense humidity and sweat in Colombo. In a display of team camaraderie, Shaheen Afridi, who was notably rested for this fixture to manage his workload, was seen sprinting out from the dugout before the next delivery could be bowled. Carrying a fresh set of high-grip gloves, Shaheen personally delivered the gear to Farhan to ensure no further projectile incidents occurred.
Here’s the video:
Sent the bat on a separate journey! 💥✈️
Toe-ended over point, while the bat landed somewhere near backward square. Runs secured. Grip? Not so much. 😅
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— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) February 18, 2026
Sahibzada Farhan’s maiden T20 World Cup century powers Pakistan to 199/3 against Namibia
The Sinhalese Sports Club witnessed a historic masterclass as Farhan became just the second Pakistan batter to score a T20 World Cup century, carrying his bat to finish on an unbeaten 100*. After the early loss of Saim Ayub and the departure of Salman Ali Agha for 38, Farhan anchored the innings with a blend of surgical precision and late-overs carnage.
The middle phase saw Khawaja Nafay fell for 5, but this only cleared the way for a blistering finish alongside Shadab Khan, who played a vital cameo of 36. Farhan entered the final over on 99 and reached his maiden T20I hundred with a crisp single, sparking wild celebrations in the Pakistan dugout. His innings included nine boundaries and five towering sixes, single-handedly propelling Pakistan from a steady start to a massive 199/3 in their 20 overs.
The 18th over proved to be the turning point, as Farhan and Shadab dismantled Jack Brassell for 20 runs, effectively batting Namibia out of the contest. Despite Ruben Trumpelmann’s best efforts to nail wide yorkers in the penultimate over, he could not stem the flow of runs as Pakistan exploited the short square boundaries. Namibia’s bowlers, led by Brassell’s two wickets, fought gallantly but were eventually overwhelmed by the sheer intent of the Pakistani top order.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: crickettimes.com
