Hosts and defending champions Pakistan, alongside Bangladesh, became the first teams to be officially eliminated from the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025, which is set to continue until March 9.
The green shirts, who claimed the prestigious title in 2017 under the captaincy of wicketkeeper-batter Sarfaraz Ahmed, began their title defense against New Zealand. The Blackcaps had previously defeated them twice in the recent tri-nation ODI series that also featured South Africa.
In the opening match, New Zealand batted first and amassed an impressive total of 320 runs for the loss of 5 wickets, thanks to solid centuries from opener Will Young and wicketkeeper Tom Latham.
Pakistan’s bowling attack struggled against a well-organized New Zealand batting lineup, with Naseem Shah being the standout performer, taking two wickets for 63 runs in his 10 overs. In contrast, fellow pacer Haris Rauf had a challenging outing, conceding 83 runs in his allotted overs.
In reply, the home team managed to score only 260 runs before being dismissed in 47.2 overs. Returning all-rounder Khushdil Shah was the top scorer with a brisk 69 runs off 49 balls, while Babar Azam contributed a laborious 64 runs from 90 deliveries.
The defending champions then faced their arch-rivals India on Sunday in Dubai, with hopes of keeping their tournament hopes alive. However, their batting lineup faltered in this crucial match, posting a modest total of 241 runs before being bowled out in the final over.
Middle-order batsman Saud Shakeel was the highest scorer for Pakistan, making a cautious 62 runs off 76 balls, which included five boundaries. Left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav was the standout bowler for India, claiming three wickets for just 40 runs in his nine overs.
India successfully chased down the target of 242 runs, losing only four wickets and finishing with 45 balls to spare, largely due to a brilliant century from Virat Kohli.
With two losses in as many matches, Pakistan’s prospects of advancing to the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy 2025 have become increasingly slim, now relying on the outcomes of the remaining Group A matches.
But New Zealand’s victory over Bangladesh denied them any chance of progressing further in the eight-team tournament.
