New Zealand rode on Tom Latham and Will Young’s centuries to convincingly thrash Pakistan by 60 runs in the opening match of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Karachi on February 19. Chasing a target of 321, the Mohammad Rizwan-led Pakistani team could only muster 260 runs in 47.2 overs. While Khusdil Shah and Salman Ali Agha showed some promise with the bat, the performances of key players like Rizwan and Babar Azam were particularly disappointing. Although Babar managed a fifty, his slow scoring rate and lack of intent were criticized. New Zealand’s bowlers, Will O’Rourke and Mitchell Santner, delivered impressive performances.
New Zealand’s strong total of 320/5 was built on centuries from Will Young and Tom Latham, along with an aggressive half-century from Glenn Phillips. Pakistan’s bowlers, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf, each managed to take two wickets.