KARACHI: Centuries from Tom Latham and Will Young guided New Zealand to a formidable total of 320/5 against Pakistan in the opening match of the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi on Wednesday.
Opting to field first after winning the toss, Pakistan’s bowlers made early inroads as New Zealand struggled to find stability. Mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed provided the first breakthrough, clean-bowling Devon Conway (10) in the eighth over.
Naseem Shah then dealt a significant blow to the Blackcaps, dismissing captain Kane Williamson for just one run in the following over. The pressure mounted further when Haris Rauf removed Daryl Mitchell (10) with a sharp short delivery, leaving New Zealand reeling at 73/3 in the 17th over.
With Pakistan in control, Young and Latham staged a remarkable recovery, adding 118 runs for the fourth wicket. The pair rotated the strike well, frustrating the Pakistani bowlers and steadily shifting the momentum in New Zealand’s favour.
Young led the charge with a well-crafted 107 off 113 deliveries, featuring 12 fours and a six, before Naseem Shah struck again in the 38th over to end his innings.
Despite losing his partner, Latham continued his stellar form and anchored the innings till the end. He remained unbeaten on 118 from 104 balls, smashing 10 boundaries and three sixes.
Latham found strong support in Glenn Phillips, who launched an aggressive counterattack to keep Pakistan on the back foot. Phillips’ quickfire 61 off 39 deliveries, laced with three fours and four sixes, propelled New Zealand beyond the 320-run mark.
Among Pakistan’s bowlers, Naseem Shah (2/63) and Haris Rauf (2/83) were the most successful, while Abrar Ahmed returned with figures of 1/47 in 10 overs.
However, Shaheen Shah Afridi (0/68), Khushdil Shah (0/40 in seven overs), and Salman Ali Agha (0/15 in three overs) failed to take any wicket.
Pakistan made one change from their last playing XI in the tri-nation series final, bringing in Haris Rauf for Faheem Ashraf. New Zealand also made an adjustment, with Matt Henry replacing Jacob Duffy in the lineup, as confirmed by Mitchell Santner.
Pakistan are set a target of 321 in the opening match of ICC #ChampionsTrophy 🎯#PAKvNZ | #WeHaveWeWill pic.twitter.com/zZQcdVuU4B
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) February 19, 2025
The ICC Champions Trophy, regarded as the second-most prestigious one-day international tournament after the World Cup, is being hosted in Pakistan for the first time in nearly three decades. The event runs until 9 March, featuring the world’s top teams vying for the coveted title.
Pakistan Playing XI
1 Fakhar Zaman, 2 Babar Azam, 3 Saud Shakeel, 4 Mohammad Rizwan (capt & wk), 5 Salman Ali Agha, 6 Tayyab Tahir, 7 Khushdil Shah, 8 Shaheen Shah Afridi, 9 Naseem Shah, 10 Haris Rauf, 11 Abrar Ahmed.
New Zealand Playing XI
1 Will Young, 2 Devon Conway, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Daryl Mitchell, 5 Tom Latham (wk), 6 Glenn Phillips, 7 Michael Bracewell, 8 Mitchell Santner (capt), 9 Matt Henry, 10 Nathan Smith, 11 Will O’Rourke.
