Injured Ben Shikongo ruled out of T20 World Cup 2026, Namibia name replacement

Namibia's Ben Shikongo has been ruled out of the squad for the ongoing ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026. The experienced cricketer sustained an injury to his right thigh when Namibia went up against India in a Group A clash at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi, on Thursday, February 12, the International Cricket Council confirmed on Monday.

For the unversed, the replacement of a player requires the approval of the Event Technical Committee before the replacement player can be officially added to the squad. Namibia proposed replacing the departing Shikongo with Alex Volschenk, which the Event Technical Committee duly approved. Volschenk has now officially been added to the Namibian squad.

"The Event Technical Committee of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 has approved Alex Volschenk as a replacement for Ben Shikongo in the Namibia squad," ICC said in an official statement.

Notably, Namibia have been ruled out of the twenty-team tournament after conceding three matches to the Netherlands, India, and the United States of America. Their loss to the Americans at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on Sunday, February 15, officially ruled them out of the tournament, with only three teams from Group A in real contention for a spot in the Super Eights, after India confirmed theirs.

Namibia's last match in the group stage will be against the Salman Ali Agha-led Pakistan. A win in this contest would mean only pride for the Namibians, but the Gerhard Erasmus-led side can seriously damage Pakistan's chances by beating them in the upcoming fixture. If the Men in Green lose the upcoming contest, they will be kicked out, too.

Namibia's updated squad for T20 World Cup 2026

Jan Balt, Zane Green (wicketkeeper), Malan Kruger, Dylan Leicher, Louren Steenkamp, Gerhard Erasmus (captain), Jan Frylinck, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Willem Myburgh, JJ Smit, Jack Brassell, Max Heingo, Bernald Scholtz, Ruben Trumpelmann, and Alex Volschenk

(Inputs from ICC)