Pakistan’s defense of their Champions Trophy title got off to a tough start as they were defeated by New Zealand by 60 runs in the opening match of the 2025 tournament at National Bank Stadium, Karachi.
Chasing a target of 321 runs, Pakistan was dismissed for 260 in 47.2 overs. Khushdil Shah played a strong innings, scoring 69 runs, while captain Babar Azam contributed 64. Salman Agha added a quickfire 42 off 28 balls, but the rest of the batting order faltered. Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan could only manage 6 and 3 runs, respectively.
Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, and Naseem Shah made minimal contributions with the bat, scoring 14, 19, and 13 runs.
Devon Conway, Will Young, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham(w), Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner(c), Nathan Smith, Matt Henry, William ORourke
For New Zealand, Mitchell Santner and Will O’Rourke were the standout bowlers, taking three wickets each.
Earlier, New Zealand posted a challenging total of 320/5 in their allotted 50 overs.
Check Out: Best moments of Pakistan vs New Zealand Match 01 Champions Trophy 2025
Openers Will Young and Tom Latham both scored centuries. Young made 107 off 113 balls, while Latham struck 118 from 104 balls, while, Glenn Phillips chipped in with 61 runs.
Pakistan’s bowlers, led by Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf, took two wickets each, while Abrar Ahmed claimed one.
Pakistan’s captain Mohammad Rizwan had won the toss and opted to field first.
He mentioned the team’s aim to rectify mistakes made during the recent tri-series and focus on dismissing New Zealand for a low total.
New Zealand’s captain, Mitchell Santner, expressed satisfaction with the team’s combination heading into the match.
Despite Pakistan having the upper hand in overall ODIs between the two sides, having won 61 out of 118 encounters, New Zealand continued their Champions Trophy dominance, having defeated Pakistan in all three previous meetings in the tournament, including two semi-finals.
Pakistan:
Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan(w/c), Salman Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Khushdil Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed
New Zealand:
Devon Conway, Will Young, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham(w), Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner(c), Nathan Smith, Matt Henry, William ORourke
