Champions Trophy 2025 The first match of Champions Trophy 2025 was played between New Zealand and Pakistan at the National Stadium in Karachi. In this match, the Pakistan team won the toss and decided to bowl first.
Batting first in the first match of the Champions Trophy, the Kiwi team scored 320 runs. In response, the host Pakistan team, playing at home, collapsed for 260 runs in 47.2 overs.
New Zealand performed brilliantly and won the match against Pakistan. The heroes of this victory were Will Young and Tom Latham, whose centuries gave a strong base to the team, while Glenn Phillips’ explosive batting and the bowlers’ excellent performance ensured victory.
Will Young’s brilliant century
Opener Will Young played a brilliant innings and scored 107 runs in 113 balls. In his innings, he hit 12 fours and 1 six, which made his strike rate 94.69. Young and Tom Latham had an important partnership of 118 runs for the fourth wicket, which was broken by Naseem Shah. Young was caught out by Faheem Ahmed.
Latham’s unbeaten innings
Wicketkeeper and captain Tom Latham played a responsible innings and scored an unbeaten 118 runs. He faced 104 balls and hit 10 fours and 3 sixes. Latham batted at a strike rate of 113.46 and was chosen as the ‘Player of the Match’ for his innings.
Glenn Phillips’ stormy batting
Glenn Phillips batted explosively in the last overs and scored 61 runs in just 39 balls. His innings included 3 fours and 4 sixes. Phillips scored at a strike rate of 156.41 and took New Zealand’s score beyond 300. Haris Rauf finally ended his innings.
Bowlers’ brilliance
Fast bowler William O’Rourke took 3 important wickets for 47 runs in 9 overs. He sent Pakistani opener Saud Shakeel, captain Mohammad Rizwan and Khushdil Shah back to the pavilion. His economy was 5.20.
At the same time, captain Mitchell Santner also took 3 wickets for 66 runs in 10 overs. He shocked Pakistan’s batting by dismissing Babar Azam, Tayyab Tahir and Haris Rauf.
Conclusion
New Zealand’s victory saw a collective performance from the batsmen and bowlers. Young-Latham’s centuries, Phillips’ fast runs and the accuracy of the bowlers put Pakistan completely on the backfoot.
