Will Young and Tom Latham’s centuries, complemented by a collective bowling performance, propelled New Zealand to a decisive 60-run victory over Pakistan in the inaugural match of the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 at the National Bank Stadium on Wednesday.
In pursuit of a challenging target of 321 runs, the home team managed to score only 260 runs before being dismissed in the 48th over, despite notable contributions from Babar Azam and Khushdil Shah, who both scored half-centuries.
Pakistan’s innings began poorly, as they quickly found themselves at 22 for 2 within the first 10 overs, with captain Mohammad Rizwan (three) and Saud Shakeel (six) dismissed cheaply.
After this shaky start, Fakhar Zaman joined Babar in an attempt to stabilize the innings. However, the duo could only add 47 runs before Fakhar was dismissed by Michael Bracewell in the 21st over, having scored 24 runs off 41 balls, including four boundaries.
Vice-captain Salman Ali Agha then attempted to mount a counterattack with a rapid 42 runs before falling to Nathan Smith in the 31st over.
Pakistan’s situation worsened as they lost two more wickets in quick succession, including that of their star batsman Babar Azam, leaving them at 153 for 6 after 34 overs. Babar managed a cautious 64 runs off 90 balls, featuring six fours and a six.
Coming in at number seven, Khushdil Shah aggressively targeted the New Zealand bowlers, scoring 69 runs off just 49 balls, which included 10 fours and a six, before being dismissed in the 44th over by Will O’Rourke, leaving New Zealand just two wickets away from victory.
Although tailenders Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah provided some resistance, their efforts fell short of securing a win for their team.
For New Zealand, Mitchell Santner and O’Rourke each took three wickets, while Matt Henry contributed with two wickets.
Batting first, the Blackcaps posted a total of 320 for 5 in their 50 overs, largely due to a pivotal fourth-wicket partnership between Young and Latham. For Pakistan, Naseem and Rauf each claimed two wickets, with Abrar Ahmed also contributing.
