- Khushdil Shah, Babar Azam scored 69, 64 respectively.
- Will O’Rourke, Mitchell Santner share 3 wickets each.
- Pakistan to face India in Dubai on February 23.
Pakistan’s underwhelming performance hands New Zealand easy win. New Zealand grabbed
a 60-run victory against Pakistan with contribution of Will O’Rourke’s three and Mitchell Santner’s two in the opening match of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 played at the National Bank Stadium, Karachi, on Wednesday.
Chasing a daunting 321-run target, the home side could accumulate 260 before getting bowled out in the 48th over despite half-centuries from Babar Azam and Khushdil Shah.
Pakistan had a dismal start to the pursuit as they were reduced to 22/2 in 10 overs with skipper Mohammad Rizwan (three) and Saud Shakeel (six) falling cheaply.
Following the early hiccup, Fakhar Zaman joined Babar in the middle in a bid to launch recovery.
The pair, however, could add 47 runs to the total as Fakhar fell victim to Michael Bracewell in the 21st over after scoring 24 off 41 deliveries with the help of four boundaries.
Vice-captain Salman Ali Agha then offered some fightback with a blistering 42-run cameo until falling victim to Nathan Smith in the 31st over.
Earlier, Pakistan won the toss and opted to bowl. Indian team, led by Rohit Sharma, will begin their campaign against Bangladesh at the Dubai International Stadium tomorrow. The tournament, featuring the eight top-ranked One Day International teams, will be held across Pakistan and the UAE. The final will be played on 9th of next month. Group A have New Zealanda, India, Bangladesh, and hosts Pakistan. Group B consists of Afghanistan, Australia, England, and South Africa. Pakistan lifted the last edition of the cricket Trophy in 2017, beating India in the final.