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The Kiwis put up an enormous whole of 320 runs for the lack of 5 wickets in 50 overs using on tons from Will Younger and Tom Latham earlier than bundling out the hosts for 260 runs in 47.2 overs as Mitchell Santner and Will O’Rourke…Learn Extra
New Zealand’s Mitchel Santner, proper, and teammates congratulate every others after successful the ICC Champions Trophy cricket match towards Pakistan, in Karachi, Pakistan Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (AP Picture/Anjum Naveed)
New Zealand opened the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 with a powerful 60-run overcome defending champions Pakistan on the Nationwide Financial institution Stadium in Karachi on Wednesday.
The Kiwis put up an enormous whole of 320 runs for the lack of 5 wickets in 50 overs using on tons from Will Younger and Tom Latham earlier than bundling out the hosts for 260 runs in 47.2 overs as Mitchell Santner and Will O’Rourke posted three-wicket hauls.
Pakistan skipper Mohammad Rizwan gained the toss and put New Zealand to bat first because the hosts suffered an early scare with star batter Fakhar Zaman sustaining a lower-back pressure when chasing the ball to the boundary within the very first over of the sport. He was pulled out and changed by Khamran Ghulam and was given medical consideration earlier than popping out to discipline in the direction of the latter part of the innings.
Abrar Ahmed acquired the hosts the breakthrough within the eighth over of the sport as he scalped Devon Conway for 10 runs, earlier than Naseem Shah made additional inroads with a peach of supply to do away with Kane Williamson for simply 1.
Daryl Mitchell was subsequent to go as Haris Rauf removed the Kiwi for 10 runs. Nevertheless, Younger and Latham stitched up a 118-run partnership to regular the innings earlier than Younger fell to Shah after having made 107 runs off113 deliveries.
The Kiwi innings was handed an extra increase because of Glenn Phillips’ quickfire 61-run contribution off 39 deliveries earlier than Rauf despatched him again to the hut. Latham finishes unbeaten on 118 off 104 balls to steer the Kiwis to the mammoth rating.
Pakistan acquired off to a gradual begin and by no means actually recovered from it regardless of battling fifties from Babar Azam and Kushdil Shah later within the innings.
Azam opened the innings with Saud Shakeel with Zaman unavailable to open citing his time on the sidelines within the first innings. Shakeel didn’t final lengthy as O’Rourke dismissed him for six off 19. The Kiwi pacer doubled his tally with the removing of Rizwan earlier than Azam and Zaman steadied the chase up a bit. Nevertheless, Zaman who appeared to be in seen ache was despatched again by Michael Bracewell for twenty-four runs.
Salman Ali Agha instilled some life within the recreation together with his 42 runs earlier than falling to Nathan Smith earlier than Tayyab Tahir was scalped by Santner.
The NZ skipper, Santner, additionally put an finish to Azam for 64 runs earlier than Kushdil started his onslaught. Matt Henry eliminated Shaheen Shah Afridi for 14 earlier than O’Rourke returned to dismiss Kushdil’s valiant 69 off 49 to place the sport past the hosts’ attain. Santner accomplished his three-fer with the wicket of Rauf earlier than Henry castled Naseem Shah to convey an finish to Pakistan’s distress in entrance of their house crowd.