The hosts, Pakistan had a terrible start to the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 when New Zealand defeated them by 60 runs in the first game. New Zealand’s top scorers were Tom Latham (118) and Will Young (107).
On Wednesday, February 19, at National Stadium in Karachi, Pakistan lost to New Zealand by 60 runs in the tournament’s opening match, giving their campaign in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 the worst possible start. New Zealand was called in to bat first, and they scored a huge 320/5 in their allotted 50 overs thanks to brilliant centuries from Will Young (107 off 113) and Tom Latham (118 off 104).
In response, Mitchell Santner (3/66) and William O’Rourke (3/39) stormed through Pakistan’s batting order, bundling them out for 260 in 47.2 overs. Because of this, the hosts had a forgettable start to their title defense and are now in danger of losing the competition. Pakistan’s supporters, who supported them during the match as an ICC event returned to their country after nearly 30 years, were once again disappointed by their team’s lackluster performance.
Saud Shakeel and Babar Azam, the openers, failed to score quickly, giving Pakistan’s chase a terrible start. In order to make up for the time Fakhar Zaman missed on the field in the opening innings due to an injury sustained while fielding, the rules required him to spend more time in the dugout, so Shakeel was promoted to start the innings.
The perseverance of the New Zealand seamers paid off when William O’Rourke was able to track down Saud Shakeel’s outside edge (6 off 19), which Matt Henry securely collected at first slip. Pakistan had to entirely rearrange their batting order to deal with Fakhar’s problem, and under tremendous pressure, skipper Muhammad Rizwan came in at number three.
Pakistan’s chase never got going
Even though he was playing well, the Pakistani captain was unable to get going as the Kiwi bowlers kept holding him and Babar in check. when ten overs, Pakistan was at 22/2 when Rizwan was finally removed for 3 (14) thanks to a spectacular one-handed grab by Glenn Phillips at point.
Fakhar Zaman eventually came out to bat after the two early blows, but he was not at his best and dragged himself out to the middle. Pakistan’s run rate increased from 2.2 to more than three runs per over after his arrival. It was insufficient, though, to cause the opposition a headache, as they persisted in applying pressure with aggressive field setups.
After being dropped by Devon Conway, Fakhar’s stuttering knock came to an end on 24 (41) when Michael Bracewell broke his stumps. Babar, who received harsh criticism for his lack of intent during his innings, was joined at the crease by Salman Agha when Pakistan was 69/3 after 21 overs.
Although Babar reached his 35th half-century, the fact that it was achieved in 80 balls had little bearing on the outcome of the match. Salman’s rapid knock of 42 (28), which included six fours and a six, gave Pakistan’s chase a breath of new air. But as Pakistan needed 194 runs at a pace of more than 10 runs per over, it was all for nothing. As a result, he was removed for taking too many shots against Nathan Smith, adding to the hosts’ suffering as they were on 127/4 after 30.4 overs.
Babar collected a few boundaries after his dismissal, but he was ultimately removed for 64 (90). Additionally, Khushdil Shah played a heroic 69 (49), which helped his team narrow the loss gap.
Young and Latham rescue New Zealand
With openers Will Young and Devon Conway scoring 39 runs for the first wicket off 45 balls earlier in the day, New Zealand got off to a respectable start. Pakistan, however, quickly regained the lead and put New Zealand on 73/3 in 16.2 overs after losing Conway (10), Kane Williamson (1), and Daryl Mitchell (10).
Will Young appeared to be batting on a different track as Tom Latham joined him at the crease after a barrage of wickets. Young finally gave back the team management’s faith by reaching his half-century off 55 deliveries after replacing Rachin Ravindra in the playing XI during the tri-series.
In addition, he reached his fourth ODI century from 107 balls before saving New Zealand with an incredible 107 (113) innings. Along with Latham, who reached his eighth ODI century with an unbeaten 118* (104) that included three sixes and ten fours, Young scored 118 runs for the fourth wicket. With a scorching knock of 61 (39), Glenn Phillips gave the innings a furious conclusion by putting Pakistan bowlers to the sword.
The hosts’ two wickets were taken by Naseem Shah (2/63) and Haris Rauf (2/83) respectively, and Abrar Ahmed got economical figures of 1/47 in ten overs. Pakistan’s net run rate, which is currently at -1.200, has been severely impacted since their defeat. If the Mohammad Rizwan-led team wants to survive the competition, they will need to stage a comeback similar to their 2017 campaign. On Sunday, February 23 in Dubai, they will play their second match against bitter rivals India.
