Sanjay Krishnamurthi produced the fireworks for USA with the bat, hitting a hat-trick of sixes in a game-changing 17th over as part of an unbeaten 68 off 33 balls to set up an easy win over Namibia. 

Photo credit: ICC via Getty

By Peter Della Penna (Twitter/X @PeterDellaPenna)
 
USA’s quest for a second straight trip to the Super Eight stage of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is still alive, albeit with a faint pulse, after they wrapped up their Group A slate with a 31-run win over Namibia on Sunday in Chennai. Reprising his power-hitting exploits that were visible in the summer of 2025 with San Francisco Unicorns in Major League Cricket, Sanjay Krishnamurthi was named Player of the Match in USA’s win after blasting six sixes during a career-best 68 not out off 33 balls to top-score in USA’s total of 199 for 4 before holding Namibia to 168 for 6 in reply. 
 
The result took USA to four points, equal to Pakistan in a tie for second place on the Group A table. However, USA ended the day with their net run rate in a far superior position to Pakistan after India easily defeated their border rivals by 61 runs in Colombo. It means that if Namibia can beat Pakistan on Wednesday, USA will advance to the Super Eights along with India by virtue of a superior net run rate to Pakistan. Netherlands are also theoretically alive but their net run rate deficit is more than two full points behind USA, meaning it would require a win over India by at least 150 runs to overtake USA. 
 
USA won the toss and chose to bat first on a different pitch than the one used at the same ground in their win over Netherlands two days earlier. USA also made one change to their starting lineup, bringing in Saurabh Netravalkar for Nosthush Kenjige as Andries Gous remained out due to illness. 
 
Uncharacteristically poor fielding from Namibia played a huge part in USA’s victory, beginning in the first over of play as USA captain Monank Patel was dropped on the third legal ball of play before he had scored a run when a checked drive against Ruben Trumpelmann floated to the left of Dylan Leicher at cover fielding five yards in from the edge of the 30-yard circle where he initially took a wrong step to his right before going back left and spilling a head height chance. Monank rubbed salt into the wound in the next over, flicking JJ Smit’s medium pace for six over midwicket to begin his march toward a half-century in the early part of a 68-run opening stand alongside Shayan Jahangir. Monank dished out bigger punishment to Smit in the sixth over, crushing two fours and a six during a 19-run frame. 
 
The opening stand finally ended when Jahangir skied a slog to Smit at long-on against legspinner Willem Myburgh in the seventh for 22. Monank could also have been out for 45 to Myburgh in the ninth over, but a similar skied chance to deep midwicket wound up falling tamely between Jan Frylinck coming over from midwicket and Smit at long-on as both fielders looked at each other while neither went for a catching attempt only for the ball to turn into a one-bounce four. A single tapped off the next ball brought up a 27-ball half-century for Monank. However, he finally fell for 52 in the 11^th when another skied chance against Myburgh was held this time by Smit at long-on to make it 89 for 2. 
 
Sai Mukkamalla got a decent start with 17 off 18 balls but could not go on to a big score following his half-century against Netherlands and perished trying to muscle a short ball from Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus’ offspin only to pick out Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton at long-on to make it 103 for 3 in the 12^th over. 
 
That opened the door for Krishnamurthi to team up with Milind Kumar and the pair added 87 for the fourth wicket across the next 7.4 overs. Yet, the partnership could have been cut in half, and the same goes for Krishnamurthi’s innings, if not for a momentary but very costly lapse made by Erasmus at long-off at the start of the 17^th over. The score was 150 for 3 with 24 balls to go with Krishnamurthi on 32 when he drove Trumpelmann down the ground where Erasmus ran to his left and took a catch tumbling to his left. However, the ball slipped out of the right hand of Erasmus when it appeared he was looking to fling the ball in celebration but before he had finished his alligator roll to bring his body to a controlled stop. After a third umpire review, Krishnamurthi was given not out. 
 
After a single by Milind to put Krishnamurthi back on strike, he drove a six down the ground. A rib high full toss wide outside off was slashed for six over point. After the delivery was called a no ball, Krishnamurthi powered a low full toss for six over long-off to complete a 24-ball maiden T20I half-century. It also finished a sequence of 19 runs off two legal deliveries during a 26-run over that resulted in a massive shift in momentum back to USA. 
 
The partnership ended in the final over when Milind fell for 28 skying a slog against Erasmus to long-off where Smit took his third catch of the innings. Shubham Ranjane entered for the final few deliveries and managed to hit a boundary to end 5 not out off 2 balls. 
 
Myburgh ended with 2 for 22 in four overs while Erasmus claimed 2 for 27 in three overs to end as Namibia’s only wicket-takers. Smit was Namibia’s least economical bowler, conceding 0 for 43 off three while Trumpelmann was harmed most by the poor fielding to concede 0 for 52 in four. Loftie-Eaton only bowled one over to end with 0 for 5 while left-arm spinner Bernard Scholtz ended with 0 for 35 off his four overs. Max Heingo bowled the only other over by a pacer for Namibia, giving away 12 runs. 
 
Namibia’s chase started out in threatening fashion as they sprinted to a 54-run opening stand across the first 31 balls. Frylinck greeted Shadley van Schalkwyk with a six down the ground to begin the sixth over to bring up the half-century partnership along with Louren Steenkamp, but Frylinck fell next ball trying to repeat the shot and instead spliced a tame floater back to van Schalkwyk for a simple return catch for 19. 
 
Loftie-Eaton was cruising on 27 off 16 balls when he attempted a reverse scoop off his 17^th delivery and middled a full toss from Netravalkar straight to Ranjane at short third to make it 99 for 2 in the 11^th. At that stage, Namibia needed 101 to win off 57 balls on what appeared to be a very flat-looking pitch. Steenkamp brought up his half-century off 33 balls with a single in the following over, but suddenly began looking out of steam. A tired slice to backward point was taken by Mohammad Mohsin off Ranjane’s medium pace in the 13^thfor 58 to make it 112 for 3. 
 
The wicket of Steenkamp in the 13^th was the start of a four-over sequence in which Namibia went without a boundary as USA’s bowlers kept Namibia in check to take back control of the match. Erasmus fell in the 15^thfor 6, edging van Schalkwyk to Jahangir’s right where the USA keeper took a superb one-handed diving catch to make it 123 for 4. 
 
Zane Green made 18 off 13 balls at No. 6, hitting a reverse scoop for four off his final ball to end the 18^th over before he was retired out to bring in Trumpelmann with Namibia wanting a better six-hitter at the crease alongside Smit as the equation sat at 51 to win off the final two overs. But Smit could only manage one six the rest of the way, coming in the penultimate over off of van Schalkwyk. However Ali Khan got Smit out in the final over for 31, gloving a slower bouncer behind to Jahangir. 
 
Van Schalkwyk ended with 2 for 30 off his four overs to end as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker at the end of the group stage with 13 in four matches. Netravalkar claimed 1 for 27 in a good comeback performance after taking heavy punishment in his first two matches against India and Pakistan. Ranjane took 1 for 6 off his only over while Khan finished with 1 for 43 off four. USA’s spinners all went wicketless as Harmeet Singh followed up his four-wicket Player of the Match performance against Netherlands with 0 for 25 off three overs. Mohsin sent down a solitary over of legspin for 10 runs while Milind bowled three overs to give away 0 for 27. 
 
Though USA is the first team in the tournament to play all four of their matches, they will remain in India until Thursday pending the results of the final matches in Group A to be played on Wednesday. Should the Namibia v Pakistan result fall USA’s way, it will mean three more matches in the tournament.