The first match of the 2025 Champions Trophy will be between the hosting nation Pakistan (PAK) and New Zealand (NZ). It will get started at 2:00 PM (local) and 2:30 (IST).
They are in Group A and the other two teams are India and Bangladesh.
Pakistan (PAK) Analysis:
Being the defending champion, the team has a great chance to retain the glory as it will be in their own homeland. It must also be their honour to represent the ICC tournament after 29 years.
Leading the team Mohammad Rizwan is playing his first ever Champions Trophy. He has been in excellent touch in recent times and during the recent tri-series he scored 122 runs against South Africa and that too came in Karachi where the first match of the CT will be played.
Team’s most dependable batter and currently the number one ODI batter Babar Azam has been seen struggling to score runs with the bat. In the last two matches in Karachi he scored 23 & 29 runs. His average also dipped to 55.73. But still he has a lot of potential to score runs and might again prove himself in the bigger stage.
Opener Fakhar Zaman is known for his hard hitting skills and has been in brilliant touch in recent times with the bat. He also scored 84 runs against Kiwis in the recent tri-series which will give him a boost in this inaugural match. Also in the 2017 Champions Trophy final he scored 114 runs against India and made his team to get the trophy.
The pace attack will be witnessed by the trio – Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf. Rauf who sustained an injury during the recent tri-series has been declared fit and will be available for selection. Afridi has been a little expensive in his recent performances but the team is expecting more from him.
Probable Playing 11 of Pakistan (PAK):
Mohammad Rizwan (c/wk), Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Salman Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Saud Shakeel, Khushdil Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Naseen Shah, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf.
New Zealand (NZ) Analysis:
Kiwis are desperate to win an ICC tournament in a 50-over format. Their recent performance in the tri-series in Pakistan must give them a boost in this ICC event as they won the series. They have a solid unit and are one of the strong contenders to win the tournament.
The skipper of the team, Mitchell Santner has been the team’s brilliant all-rounder and is performing up to the mark. He also looked good in the tri-series and performed well in both the departments.
Kane Williamson is the star batter of the team and was the leading run-scorer from the side in the 2017 Champions Trophy where he scored 244 runs in 3 matches which includes 1 century and 2 half-centuries. His average was 81.33 and the strike rate was 92.42.
Devon Conway has been in great touch with the bat as he scored 66 & 48 runs in the last two matches in Karachi. But he has been seen struggling against Naseen Shah as he got dismissed thrice against him. Tom Latham who has been struggling with the bat from 2024 might get a momentum to fix as he got 3 fifties in Karachi’s pitch.
Rachin Ravindra has been back into the practice after he got injured in the first match of the recent tri-series, but his availability is still not sure.
Matt Henry will be team’s leading pacer and will be assisted well by Will O’Rourke.
Probable playing 11 of New Zealand (NZ):
Mitchell Santner ©, Will Young/Rachin Ravindra, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (wk), Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Matt Henry, Nathan Smith/Jacob Duffy, Will O’Rourke.
Pitch report of match between PAK vs NZ:
The match will be played at National Stadium, Karachi. This pitch highly assisted batters and huge runs are expected in the inaugural match. Chasing might be a good option here due to the presence of dew as the match progresses.
PAK vs NZ head to head in Champions Trophy:
| PAK | NZ | |
| won | 0 | 3 |
Weather Report:
The weather is expected to be partly cloudy but the chances of rain is negligible. The higher temperature will be around 30 degree celsius while the lower will be around 19 degree celsius. Humidity will be little on the higher side as it might touch close to 80%.
Best 11 for the Match between PAK vs NZ:
Devon Conway, Mohammad Rizwan, Kane Williamson, Babar Azam, Daryl Mitchell, Fakhar Zaman, Michael Bracewell, Agha Salman, Mitchell Santner, Glenn Phillips, Shaheen Afridi.
National stadium profile credits: ESPNcricinfo.com