Pakistan captain Salman Agha in tense exchange with coach Mike Hesson, bangs bottle as awkward Babar Azam looks on

Some heated scenes in the Pakistan dugout. Salman Ali Agha and Mike Hesson at the centre of the action.

Updated on: Feb 18, 2026, 22:30:06 IST

Written by Vishesh Roy

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

All's not well within the Pakistan camp, and tensions were palpable inside the dugout during the team's must-win Group A T20 World Cup 2026 match against Namibia on Wednesday at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo. After losing to India by 61 runs on Sunday, Pakistan faced a must-win match against Namibia, knowing that a loss would lead to yet another early elimination from the tournament. The contest against Gerharad Erasmus' side started off on a good note for Pakistan as skipper Salman Ali Agha won the toss and opted to bat first.

Salman Ali Agha and Mike Hesson were involved in a heated altercation. (AFP )

Pakistan then started off the innings with some caution as Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub refrained from going hell for leather right from the start. The left-handed Ayub once again fell cheaply, scoring 14 runs off 12 balls, but Farhan and captain Agha ensured that Pakistan stayed afloat. The two put on 67 runs off 42 balls for the second wicket, but Agha ended up losing his wicket against the run of play for 38 off 23 balls.

Also Read: Pakistan vs Namibia LIVE Score, T20 World Cup: Check our live coverage

Soon after the dismissal, the TV cameras picked up an animated conversation between Agha and head coach Mike Hesson. When Hesson spoke, it seemed that the Pakistan captain wasn't pleased and even ended up throwing a bottle of water. Following this development, Hesson was slightly taken aback. He said something, to which Agha simply nodded. Babar Azam was caught in the crossfire; he didn't say anything, just looked sheepish.

Babar Azam demoted in the batting order

The match between Pakistan and Namibia also saw Babar demoted in the batting order, as he didn't walk out at No. 4. After a good start, the Pakistan management decided to send Khawaja Nafay and Shadab Khan ahead of him. Babar has been struggling in the tournament right from the first match against the Netherlands. The right-handed batter, 31, was guilty of playing loose shots against the Dutch and India.

Pakistan also left out Shaheen Shah Afridi after his below-par performance against India, during which the left-armer leaked 31 runs in two overs.

After opting to bat first, Pakistan posted 199/3 in 20 overs, owing to a maiden T20I century by Sahibzada Farhan. He remained unbeaten on 100, and he also found support from Shadab Khan, as the two put together a partnership of 81 runs for the fourth wicket. For Namibia, Erasmus picked up one wicket while Jack Brassell returned with figures of 2/48.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Vishesh Roy
Vishesh Roy is a sports journalist with a strong focus on cricket. He began his career at Asian News International (ANI), where he covered a range of high-profile events, including the India Open, Legends Cricket League, the England–India Test series in Ahmedabad in 2021, and the inauguration of the Narendra Modi Stadium. During his tenure at ANI, he also reported extensively on domestic cricket, covering several Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy matches across the country. While cricket remains his primary beat, Vishesh has also reported on tennis, football and WWE. After a stint of over three years at ANI, Vishesh moved to NDTV, where he gained hands-on experience in digital-first journalism, with a particular emphasis on live blogs and real-time news reporting. He joined Hindustan Times in October 2024 and quickly established himself with a series of exclusive interviews and source-driven stories. Ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, Hindustan Times was the first to report that the two-day event would be held in Saudi Arabia. In the early months of his tenure, Vishesh secured interviews with leading cricketers, including Pat Cummins, Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rashid Latif. He has also closely tracked the rise of emerging talents such as Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Priyansh Arya by speaking to their current and childhood coaches. His background in on-field reporting has helped Hindustan Times Digital break exclusive stories on major developments, including Virat Kohli’s return to the Ranji and Vijay Hazare Trophy, IPL scheduling, and the T20 World Cup controversy involving Bangladesh and Pakistan.Read More

Get live cricket scores, match updates, schedules, results and ICC rankings. Follow the latest news, statistics and performances of top teams and players on Hindustan Times.