ICC Champions Trophy 2025: New Zealand beat Pakistan by 60 runs
Chasing a target of 321 runs, the entire Pakistan team was bowled out for 260 runs in 47.2 overs.
KARACHI: New Zealand defeated Pakistan by 60 runs in the opening match of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 at Karachi’s National Bank Stadium on Wednesday
Chasing a 321-run target, Pakistan was bowled out for 260 runs. Khushdil Shah top-scored with 69, while Babar Azam contributed 64.
Agha Salman (42), Fakhar Zaman (24), Haris Rauf (19), Shaheen Afridi (14), Naseem Shah (13), Saud Shakeel (6), captain Mohammad Rizwan (3), and Tayyab Tahir (1) failed to take Pakistan over the line.
For New Zealand, Will O’Rourke and captain Mitchell Santner took three wickets each, while Matt Henry claimed two. Michael Bracewell and Nathan Smith grabbed one wicket each.
Earlier, New Zealand posted 320/5 in 50 overs. Despite losing three wickets for 73 runs, they recovered through a 118-run stand between Will Young (107) and Tom Latham. Latham (104*) and Glenn Phillips (61) added another 125 runs.
Pakistan’s Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah took two wickets each, while Abrar Ahmed got one.
After winning the toss, Pakistan’s captain Rizwan opted to field first, aiming for a strong start in the tournament. New Zealand’s captain Santner was confident of putting up a challenging total to put Pakistan under pressure.
The two teams have met four times in the Champions Trophy event so far, with the Kiwis winning all four times.
Pakistan was led by Mohammad Rizwan while New Zealand was captained by Mitchell Santner.
Playing XI of Pakistan ;
The Pakistan team for this match included Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Muhammad Rizwan (wicket keeper, captain), Salman Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Khushdal Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf and Abrar Ahmed.
New Zealand’s playing eleven ;
The New Zealand squad for this match included Will Young, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (wicketkeeper), Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (captain), Nathan Smith, Matt Henry and Will O’Rourke.
It should be noted that in the ICC Champions Trophy, eight teams will be vying for the title, including the host defending champions Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, India, New Zealand, England, Australia and South Africa.
All eight teams are divided into two groups.
Group A includes teams from defending champions Pakistan, Bangladesh, India and New Zealand, while Group B includes teams from Afghanistan, Australia, England and South Africa.
From two groups of all eight teams, the top two teams will qualify for the semi-final round.
