Pakistan's Champions Trophy defense got off to the worst possible start as they were bundled out for just 260 runs in the opening match against New Zealand in Karachi. Chasing a mammoth target of 321, the hosts' batters did not show any kind of intent as they were placed 22 for the loss of two wickets in the first power play. Babar Azam's slow 50 eventually sealed the fate of the hosts. Meanwhile, for New Zealand Will Young, Tom Latham, and Glenn Phillips were the stars with the bat in hand, for the visitors 60 runs in the opening match.
Coming back to Pakistan's innings, only Salman Ali Agha (42) showed some intent as he struck runs at a strike rate of 150. The next best strike rate was of Khushdil Shah, who scored 69 off 49 balls, striking runs at 141. Meanwhile, former Pakistan skipper Babar scored (64) off 90 balls, which included a staggering 52 dot balls.
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New Zealand bowlers, led by pacer Matt Henry and Will O'Rourke were very meticulous with their line and lenghts. Those 10 overs eventfully sealed the fate of Pakistan's hopes of winning the first game of the CT 2025.
All-round New Zealand mean business, give Pakistan a reality check
Apart from Henry, spin twins Mitchell Santner and Michael Bracewell bowled for New Zealand in the middle overs. While the former picked up two wickets, the latter picked one wicket but was more economical of the two. On account of a terrific all-around performance with both bat and ball, New Zealand start CT with a bang. The thumping 60-run win is also a massive boost on the net run rate.
Player of Tom Latham shares his views about the win
"It was a slightly different surface to the ones we played on in the tri-series. The way Will Young batted, and the way GP played towards the end were brilliant. We were able to go through the gears a little bit more and increase the run rate, and when you have wickets in hand with these short square boundaries, you can make hay towards the end. The score we made was well above par. We didn't see that in the tri-series, but with the lack of dew, and with the wind, it probably turned a little bit more in the second innings."
