ICC Champions Trophy 2025: New Zealand Open Tournament With 60-Run Drubbing Of Holders Pakistan – News18

Last Updated:February 19, 2025, 23:58 IST

The Kiwis put up a huge total of 320 runs for the loss of 5 wickets in 50 overs riding on tons from Will Young and Tom Latham before bundling out the hosts for 260 runs in 47.2 overs as Mitchell Santner and Will O’Rourke…Read More

New Zealand opened the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 with a resounding 60-run triumph over defending champions Pakistan at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi on Wednesday.

The Kiwis put up a huge total of 320 runs for the loss of 5 wickets in 50 overs riding on tons from Will Young and Tom Latham before bundling out the hosts for 260 runs in 47.2 overs as Mitchell Santner and Will O’Rourke posted three-wicket hauls.

Pakistan skipper Mohammad Rizwan won the toss and put New Zealand to bat first as the hosts suffered an early scare with star batter Fakhar Zaman sustaining a lower-back strain when chasing the ball to the boundary in the very first over of the game. He was pulled out and replaced by Khamran Ghulam and was given medical attention before coming out to field towards the latter phase of the innings.

Abrar Ahmed got the hosts the breakthrough in the eighth over of the game as he scalped Devon Conway for 10 runs, before Naseem Shah made further inroads with a peach of delivery to get rid of Kane Williamson for just 1.

Daryl Mitchell was next to go as Haris Rauf got rid of the Kiwi for 10 runs. However, Young and Latham stitched up a 118-run partnership to steady the innings before Young fell to Shah after having made 107 runs off113 deliveries.

The Kiwi innings was handed a further boost thanks to Glenn Phillips’ quickfire 61-run contribution off 39 deliveries before Rauf sent him back to the hut. Latham finishes unbeaten on 118 off 104 balls to lead the Kiwis to the mammoth score.

Pakistan got off to a slow start and never really recovered from it despite battling fifties from Babar Azam and Kushdil Shah later in the innings.

Azam opened the innings with Saud Shakeel with Zaman unavailable to open citing his time on the sidelines in the first innings. Shakeel did not last long as O’Rourke dismissed him for 6 off 19. The Kiwi pacer doubled his tally with the removal of Rizwan before Azam and Zaman steadied the chase up a bit. However, Zaman who seemed to be in visible pain was sent back by Michael Bracewell for 24 runs.

Salman Ali Agha instilled some life in the game with his 42 runs before falling to Nathan Smith before Tayyab Tahir was scalped by Santner.

The NZ skipper, Santner, also put an end to Azam for 64 runs before Kushdil began his onslaught. Matt Henry removed Shaheen Shah Afridi for 14 before O’Rourke returned to dismiss Kushdil’s valiant 69 off 49 to put the game beyond the hosts’ reach. Santner completed his three-fer with the wicket of Rauf before Henry castled Naseem Shah to bring an end to Pakistan’s misery in front of their home crowd.