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USA’s Milind Kumar and Sanjay Krishnamurthi greet each other during the ICC Twenty20 World Cup match against Namibia in Chennai on February 15, 2026
| Photo Credit: R. Ragu
In the shortest format of the game, margins are thin and mistakes costly. Namibia discovered that the hard way as an early reprieve offered to the USA skipper Monank Patel snowballed into sustained carnage that crushed the African side by 31 runs in a Group A fixture of the ICC T20 World Cup at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday (February 15, 2026).
Opting to bat, Monank (52, 30b, 3×4, 3×6) survived a chance off the third ball of the innings and made it count. Alongside fellow opener Shayan Jahangir, he launched a calculated assault on left-arm seamers Ruben Trumpelmann and J.J. Smit, and medium-pacer Max Heingo. The leg-side bore the brunt as the USA surged to 65 without loss in the PowerPlay.
Namibia regained some control through spin in the middle phase. Leg-spinner Willem Myburgh had Shayan hole out to long-on with the total on 68 and later accounted for Monank soon after the captain reached a fluent half-century. Left-arm spinner Bernard Scholtz applied the brakes as the scoring rate briefly dipped.
With two new batters at the crease, Namibia sensed an opening. But Sanjay Krishnamurthi (68 n.o., 33b, 4×4, 6×6) shifted gears in the 12th over, launching skipper Gerhard Erasmus over mid-wicket to break the shackles. Though Saiteja Mukkamalla fell in the same over, it was all Sanjay thereafter.
He dismantled the bowling with clean, authoritative striking. Scholtz conceded 20 in the 15th over before Trumpelmann endured a bruising 17th over being hit for three sixes and a boundary as it yielded 26 runs. Sanjay’s 87-run fourth-wicket stand with Milind Kumar powered the USA to a formidable 199 for four.
Chasing a daunting 200, Namibia never truly recovered from the mounting scoreboard pressure. Despite a counter-attacking 58 from opener Louren Steenkamp, the other batters struggled to keep pace with the steep asking rate as the USA closed out the match.
The scores: USA 199/4 in 20 overs (Monank Patel 52, Sanjay Krishnamurthi 68 n.o., Willem Myburgh 2/22, Gerhard Erasmus 2/27) bt Namibia 168/6 in 20 overs (Louren Steenkemp 58, J.J. Smit 31, Shadley vsn Schalkwyk 2/30).
Toss: USA; PoM: Sanjay.
Published – February 15, 2026 03:07 pm IST
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T20 World Cup 2026: Monank, Sanjay make merry as USA crushes Namibia
