ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Pakistan vs New Zealand – Exciting Start to the Tournament!

The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is here! The first match was between Pakistan and New Zealand at the National Stadium in Karachi on February 19. This is special because Pakistan is hosting a big ICC tournament for the first time in almost 30 years. Cricket fans are thrilled!

Match Overview

In the game, New Zealand set a target of 321 runs for Pakistan. The key players for New Zealand were Will Young and Tom Latham, who scored centuries. Glenn Phillips also helped out with the score.

For Pakistan, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf took two wickets each. Abrar Ahmed also got one wicket. Babar Azam was batting well, but he got out for 64 runs, leaving Pakistan with just a few wickets left.

Head-to-Head Record in ODIs

So far, the two teams have played 118 ODIs. Pakistan has won 61 of them, while New Zealand has won 53. There were also one tie and three matches with no result.

In Pakistan, the teams have met 30 times. Pakistan has won 22 of those, while New Zealand has won 8. However, New Zealand has won 5 out of 9 matches at the National Stadium in Karachi.

In the Champions Trophy, the two teams have faced each other three times. New Zealand won all three encounters.

Key Players to Watch

Pakistan:

• Babar Azam: He has a great batting average of 59.45 in ODIs.
• Fakhar Zaman: Fakhar has over 2,300 ODI runs, with over 1,000 runs against New Zealand.
• Shaheen Afridi: Afridi has taken over 180 ODI wickets. He’s a key bowler for Pakistan.

New Zealand:

• Kane Williamson: Kane has more than 6,500 ODI runs and a solid batting average of 47.50.
• Matt Henry: He has 39 ODI wickets since 2023 and is a fast bowler to watch.

Key Stats

• New Zealand has won three of the last four ODIs against Pakistan.
• Kane Williamson scored 325 runs in his last 5 ODIs against Pakistan.
• Matt Henry has been very successful, with 39 wickets since January 2023.

Conclusion

The opening match of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 between Pakistan and New Zealand has been full of excitement. The match is important for both teams. Fans from all over the world are watching closely, and it’s clear that this tournament will be thrilling. Stay tuned for more updates and news from the Champions Trophy 2025!

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