New Zealand Begins Their Champions Trophy Journey with a Brilliant 60-run Victory Over Pakistan

New Zealand Begins Their Champions Trophy Journey with a Brilliant 60-run Victory Over Pakistan

Karachi (February 19): Pakistan fought valiantly in pursuit of a daunting 320-run target, with Babar Azam (64 runs off 90 balls) and Khushdil Shah (69 runs off 49 balls) putting up strong performances. However, with little support from the rest of the batting lineup, Pakistan ultimately fell short, losing by 60 runs as New Zealand cruised to a dominant win in the Champions Trophy opener.

This marked New Zealand's fourth consecutive victory over Pakistan in the Champions Trophy, and the first time Pakistan lost to New Zealand on home soil in three recent encounters.

New Zealand's Strong Total of 320 Runs

After winning the toss, Pakistan opted to bowl first and managed to make early breakthroughs in New Zealand's top order. However, centuries from Will Young (107 runs off 113 balls) and Tom Latham (118 runs off 104 balls) helped New Zealand post a formidable total of 320 runs for 5 wickets in 50 overs.

Will Young's Brilliant Century

Opener Will Young scored the first century of the 2025 Champions Trophy, anchoring New Zealand's innings with a well-made 107 runs off 113 balls. His knock, which included 12 fours and 1 six, played a crucial role in stabilizing New Zealand’s innings after an early collapse left them at 73/3. Young then shared a vital 118-run partnership with Tom Latham before falling to Naseem Shah for the fourth wicket.

Latham and Phillips' Aggressive Batting

Tom Latham continued the momentum with a brilliant unbeaten 115 runs off 103 balls, including 10 fours and 3 sixes. His partnerships were vital, first with Young and then with Glenn Phillips, who struck a fiery 61 runs off 39 balls. Their aggressive batting helped New Zealand reach a daunting 320/5 in 50 overs.

Pakistan's Bowling Struggles

Despite early breakthroughs, Pakistan’s bowling attack struggled to maintain the pressure. Naseem Shah took 2 wickets for 63 runs in 10 overs, and leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed was economical, conceding 47 runs for 1 wicket. However, Pakistan’s lead pacer Shaheen Afridi went wicketless, giving away 68 runs in his 10-over spell, while Haris Rauf proved expensive, leaking 83 runs for his 2 wickets.

New Zealand’s Consistent Victory

New Zealand secured their fourth consecutive win against Pakistan in the Champions Trophy, delivering another major defeat for Pakistan.