Who: Pakistan vs New Zealand
What: ICC Champions Trophy 2025
The place: Nationwide Stadium, Karachi, Pakistan
When: Wednesday, February 19 at 2pm (09:00 GMT)
Comply with Al Jazeera sport‘s stay textual content and photograph commentary stream of the match.
Host-nation Pakistan and New Zealand open the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy on the Nationwide Stadium in Karachi on Wednesday with each side trying to lay down an earlier marker for the match.
Pakistan are second favourites, behind India, to win the match however lost their last warm-up match against New Zealand on Friday to extend the highlight on this match.
The 2023 Cricket World Cup winners, Australia, are additionally a workforce to beat, however Al Jazeera takes a detailed have a look at the curtain-raiser in Karachi between two sides who hope to be lifting the trophy on March 9.
Why are defending champions Pakistan not the favourites?
Pakistan lifted the final version of the Champions Trophy by beating India in the final in 2017, however the defeated finalists are the favourites for the match based mostly on their consistency since then.
Pakistan have key match-winning players within the type of Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi, each former captains, however the nation’s potential to implode at any stage in any match and any sequence has led to a fame that precedes them.
The off-field turbulence doesn’t assist, both. Gary Kirsten was appointed as white-ball coach final 12 months however soon quit and was changed by Take a look at-match coach, Jason Gillespie. The former Australian bowler soon followed his South African predecessor out the door, having each seemed to be well-liked figures with the gamers.
What are New Zealand’s probabilities on the Champions Trophy?
New Zealand, who lifted the Champions Trophy in 2000, had been defeated finalists in the 2019 Cricket World Cup final and may by no means be written off at main tournaments. Though not boasting the populace of any of the opposite main groups on the match and past, the Kiwis relentlessly churn out expertise that impresses on the worldwide stage and in home competitions around the globe.
The Kiwis are at present ranked fourth on this planet, so should be thought-about a severe contender however topping the 2 favourites, in addition to World Cup-holders Australia, and vanquishing their 2019 conquerors, England, shall be a tall order.
When was the final time Pakistan hosted a significant match?
Worldwide cricket in Pakistan has been closely restricted lately following the assault by gunmen on the Sri Lankan cricket workforce’s bus in Lahore in 2009, which wounded six gamers.
Pakistan was shunned by top teams after the attack, and the Champions Trophy marks the primary main international match to be hosted within the nation in practically 30 years.
Type information – Pakistan
Regardless of their defeat by New Zealand on the eve of the match, Pakistan convey a surprisingly good kind e book with them into the match. The boys in inexperienced have received their final three bilateral ODI sequence on the highway, which embody a 2-1 conquer world champions Australia and a 3-0 trouncing of a formidable South Africa aspect.
Type information – New Zealand
The micro and macro of New Zealand’s kind e book are spectacular. The Kiwis have reached the knockout phases of ICC World Cups in 4 of the final 5 tournaments. In addition they carry the tri-series win towards Pakistan and South Africa – throughout which they twice overcame the previous.
Sri Lanka, who did not qualify for the Champions Trophy, tied their sequence in New Zealand 2-2 in January, with the hosts skittled for 150 within the ultimate match of the four-game sequence. No batter, apart from Mark Chapman (81), reached 20.
Final 5 ODI matches
- Pakistan: W W L W L
- New Zealand: W L W W W
Head-to-head
New Zealand ended a latest run of Pakistan dominance in ODI matches between the perimeters by profitable three of the final 4 encounters. Previous to that, Pakistan had claimed victory in seven of the final 9 accomplished matches.
Pakistan workforce information
Pakistan are more likely to be unchanged from the aspect that had been defeated by New Zealand on the eve of the Champions Trophy.
Captain Mohammad Rizwan has prompt that conserving religion in gamers will stay the technique that Pakistan take, slightly than chopping and altering, going into the match.
New Zealand workforce information
New Zealand suffered one other setback earlier than the Champions Trophy, dropping Lockie Ferguson to a foot damage.
The quick bowler was injured in a warm-up match towards Afghanistan on Sunday.
His place within the New Zealand squad has been taken by Kyle Jamieson, who performed his most up-to-date one-day worldwide in September 2023.
The damage to Ferguson follows the lack of one other quick bowler, Ben Sears, to a hamstring damage.
Pakistan squad
Squad: Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Salman Ali Agha (vice captain), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi
New Zealand squad
Squad: Mitchell Santner (captain), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway (wicketkeeper), Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham (wicketkeeper), Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Ben Sears, Nathan Smith, Kane Williamson, Will Younger
