Namibia’s Jan Frylinck and JJ Smit recreate infamous Ajmal-Malik fielding blunder in T20 World Cup 2026

2026 T20 World Cup has been entertaining to watch. The associate nations have given tough times to the top nations. The tournament has already had its first upset in the form of Zimbabwe beating Australia by 23 runs. On Sunday, in the second match of the day, the USA is facing Namibia in their final group game at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.

After winning the toss, the USA captain Monank Patel elected to bat first. They were off to a good start with 68/1 after 7 overs. During the 8th over, something hilarious happened on the field as the two Namibia fielders were caught ball-watching.

Namibia fielders turn back time

After USA captain Monank Patel miscued a ball in the air in the 8.4 over of Pieter Myburgh's ball, with two fielders, Jan Frylinck and JJ Smit, converging and looking at each other as the ball bounced in front of them and went for four. Monank, who went on to score the half-century off 27 balls with that four.

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This has been a funny moment inside the game, as it reminds of a 2008 incident when something similar happened during the Pakistan vs West Indies game. Pakistan cricketers, Saeed Ajmal and Shoaib Malik, were kept ball-watching as they were trolled and criticised for famously dropping a similar catch.

Notably, Pakistan cricketers are often trolled for their fielding moments inside the ground, from leaking easy boundaries to dropping catches. As yet another two Pakistan cricketers, Mohammad Hasnain and Iftikhar Ahmed, dropped similar catches back in 2021 against the same opposition.

USA dominates Namibia bowlers

Coming to the match, Monank Patel was finally dismissed on the score of 52 off 30 deliveries, with JJ Smit finally taking the catch on the ball of Myburgh. The USA has been firing towards the end of the innings.

They are currently 180/3 at the end of the 18th over. They will look to set a target of over 200 as chasing has not been easy at Chepauk. Sanjay Krishnamurthi and Milind Kumar have been firing the innings. The former has been batting on the score of 55 off 24 balls, and the latter has been batting on 24 off 14 balls.

USA, coming to this match, had full confidence after winning their last game against the Netherlands by 93 runs. It was the biggest victory earned by an associate nation in World Cup history. This team has shown excellent cricketing display and almost created an upset against India in the very first match.

USA still have chance to qualify for the Super 8s

Namibia, on the other hand, came in the match after their heavy loss by 93 runs against India at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi. They have struggled in the competition so far and have been knocked out as well. As they have failed to win either of their matches so far in the competition.

This is the USA’s final match of the tournament, and they will try to win and keep their outside chance of qualifying for the knockout stages alive. If India beats Pakistan, and if Namibia wins in their final match, which is against Pakistan, there is a chance Monank Patel’s side might qualify for the knockouts.

Also Read: Suryakumar Yadav & India officially reject handshakes with Pakistan players in T20 World Cup 2026