Tag: New Zealand

LAHORE: Cricket South Africa (CSA) has provided a major update on the fitness of star batter Aiden Markram ahead of their crucial ICC Champions Trophy 2025 semi-final clash against New Zealand at the Gaddafi Stadium here on Wednesday.

Markram, who was leading South Africa in the absence of regular skipper Temba Bavuma, experienced hamstring discomfort during the team’s final group-stage match against England on Saturday.

The middle-order batter walked off the field during England’s innings, handing over the leadership duties to wicketkeeper-batter Heinrich Klaasen.

Catch every Champions Trophy update here!

The development was first confirmed on the broadcast during the 31st over of England’s innings, raising concerns over Markram’s availability for the knockout stage.

As a precautionary measure, CSA called up spin-bowling all-rounder George Linde as a backup option.

However, the latest update brings relief for the Proteas camp as Aiden Markram has passed his fitness test and is available for selection in the high-stakes semi-final against the Black Caps.

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It’s worth noting that South Africa kicked off their ICC Champions Trophy 2025 campaign with a commanding 107-run victory over Afghanistan, rolling them out for 208 in pursuit of 316.

Their second fixture against Australia in Rawalpindi was completely washed out due to rain, but they sealed their semi-final berth in style with a seven-wicket thumping of England, chasing down 180 with ease.

With Markram fit and South Africa in top form, the Proteas will be aiming to make their first Champions Trophy final since 1998.

South Africa Squad for ICC Champions Trophy 2025

Temba Bavuma (c), Tony de Zorzi, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs, Rassie van der Dussen.

Travelling Reserve: George Linde.

READ: Champions Trophy: Gautam Gambhir shuts down claims of India’s ‘advantage’ in Dubai

Aqib Javed, the interim head coach of Pakistan, explained the reasons behind the exclusion of star batters Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan from the T20I squad for the upcoming tour of New Zealand.

Aqib, accompanied by newly appointed T20I captain Salman Ali Agha, announced two separate white-ball squads for the upcoming tour of New Zealand in Lahore today.

He announced that Rizwan would continue to lead the ODI team, but he was replaced by Salman in the T20I team, with Shadab Khan serving as the vice-captain. Meanwhile, Babar also retained his place in the ODI side.

During the press conference, Aqib Javed was asked about the exclusion of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan from the T20I team.

In response, he clarified that no player has been permanently sidelined; rather, the current focus is on developing a new mindset within the T20I team.

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“Look, this is never the case that a player is completely ruled out. [But] right now, we feel that we need to bring in young blood into the team and change our style of play and mindset,” said Aqib.

He further explained how several teams have completely separated their T20I and ODI squads, and Pakistan is looking to adopt a similar approach.

“If you look at other teams, many have kept their T20I squads entirely separate [from ODIs],” he added.

“Our aim is to maintain a core group of 24-25 players leading up to the Asia Cup and T20 World Cup 2026, ensuring that we don’t go beyond this player pool and approach these tournaments with a specific mindset.”

For the unversed, Mohammad Rizwan was appointed Pakistan’s white-ball captain in October 2024, but his tenure as T20I skipper was short-lived as he led the team in just five T20Is, losing all of them.

Pakistan squads for New Zealand tour

ODIs: Mohammad Rizwan (c)(wk), Salman Ali Agha (vc), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Akif Javed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jnr., Mohammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Sufiyan Muqeem, Tayyab Tahir.

T20Is: Salman Ali Agha (c), Shadab Khan (vc), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Hasan Nawaz, Jahandad Khan, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Omair Bin Yousuf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Usman Khan (wk).

READ: PCB provides major update on Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub’s injuries

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has provided a crucial update on the injury status of opening batters Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub, confirming that neither was considered for the upcoming white-ball series against New Zealand.

Saim Ayub has been on the sidelines since suffering a right ankle fracture during the Test series against South Africa in January, which ruled him out of the ongoing ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025.

Fakhar Zaman was included in Pakistan’s Champions Trophy squad but was forced out after sustaining an injury in the opening match against New Zealand on February 19 in Karachi. He is currently undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Lahore.

According to the PCB, Fakhar suffered a left lower intercostal muscle sprain, while Saim is still recovering from his ankle injury.

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However, both are expected to regain full fitness in time for the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 10, which kicks off in Rawalpindi on April 11, 2025.

“Openers Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub were not considered for either format on medical advice,” PCB stated in a press release.

“Fakhar suffered a left lower intercostal muscle sprain during Pakistan’s ICC Champions Trophy 2025 opener against New Zealand, while Saim is recovering from a right ankle fracture sustained on the first day of the Cape Town Test against South Africa in January.

“Both are expected to be fully fit for the HBL Pakistan Super League 10, starting in Rawalpindi on 11 April 2025.”

READ: Mohammad Yousuf appointed as Pakistan’s batting coach ahead of New Zealand tour

LAHORE: Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Yousuf was appointed as the batting coach of the national men’s team on Tuesday ahead of the upcoming tour of New Zealand.

The series between Pakistan and New Zealand will run from 16 March 16 to 5 April, featuring five T20Is and three ODIs.

Yousuf has replaced Shahid Aslam as the batting coach, while Aqib Javed will continue as interim head coach for the New Zealand tour.

It’s worth noting that Aqib’s original term was until the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, but he has been asked to extend his tenure while the search for a permanent head coach begins.

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The T20I series between Pakistan and New Zealand will kick off in Christchurch on 16 March, while the second match is scheduled to be played in Dunedin on 18 March.

The third match will be played in Auckland on 21 March, while the subsequent games are scheduled in Mount Maunganui and Wellington on 23 and 26 March, respectively.

Following the T20I series, the teams will travel to Napier for the first ODI, scheduled for 29 March. The second ODI will be played on 2 April in Hamilton, while Mount Maunganui will host the final ODI on 5 April.

Pakistan squads for New Zealand tour

ODIs: Mohammad Rizwan (c)(wk), Salman Ali Agha (vc), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Akif Javed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jnr., Mohammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Sufiyan Muqeem, Tayyab Tahir.

T20Is: Salman Ali Agha (c), Shadab Khan (vc), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Hasan Nawaz, Jahandad Khan, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Omair Bin Yousuf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Usman Khan (wk)

Player Support Personnel: Naveed Akram Cheema (team manager), Aqib Javed (interim head coach), Azhar Mahmood (assistant coach), Mohammad Yousuf (batting coach), Mohammad Masroor (fielding coach), Cliffe Deacon (physiotherapist), Drikus Saiman (strength and conditioning coach), Talha Butt (analyst), Irtiza Komail (security manager), Dr Wajid Ali Rafai (team doctor), Syed Naeem Ahmad (media and digital manager) and Sergio Basil Mullins (masseur).

READ: New T20I captain named as Pakistan announce white-ball squads for New Zealand tour

LAHORE: Salman Ali Agha has been named the T20I captain as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced two separate white-ball squads for the upcoming tour of New Zealand on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, returning all-rounder Shadab Khan will serve as vice-captain for the five-match T20I series against New Zealand from 16-26 March.

“The decision to appoint Salman and Shadab as T20I captain and vice-captain, respectively, has been made with an eye on two major upcoming tournaments – the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025 (September 2025) and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 (February/March 2026),” the PCB stated in a press release.

“As part of preparations for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, Pakistan is set to play a minimum of five T20Is in the ACC Asia Cup 2025 and three T20Is each against West Indies (away, July), Afghanistan (home, August), Ireland (home, September), South Africa (home, September/October), Sri Lanka (home, November) and Australia (home, January 2026).”

Meanwhile, Mohammad Rizwan will continue as ODI captain, with Salman serving as his deputy for the three 50-over matches scheduled at the backend of the tour from 29 March to 5 April.

In the T20I squad, there are three uncapped players – Abdul Samad, Hasan Nawaz and Mohammad Ali – while Akif Javed and Mohammad Ali are the two players who have yet to debut in ODIs.

The four players have been rewarded for their impressive performances in the Champions One-Day and T20 Cups.

In the Champions T20 Cup, Abdul Samad scored 115 runs at a strike-rate of 166.67 after aggregating 145 runs at a strike-rate of 122.88 in the Champions One-Day Cup.

Likewise, Hasan Nawaz had a staller Champions T20 Cup, finishing as the second leading run-getter with 312 runs at a strike-rate of 142.47.

Mohammad Ali, with 22 wickets, was the leading wicket-taker in the Champions T20 Cup, while he took three wickets in the Champions One-Day Cup.

Akif Javed has been selected in the ODI side after his seven wickets in five Champions One-Day Cup matches, while he took 15 wickets in the Champions T20 Cup.

Openers Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub were not considered for either format on medical advice.

Fakhar suffered a left lower intercostal muscle sprain during Pakistan’s ICC Champions Trophy 2025 opener against New Zealand, while Saim is recovering from a right ankle fracture sustained on the first day of the Cape Town Test against South Africa in January.

The series between Pakistan and New Zealand will run from 16 March 16 to 5 April, featuring five T20Is and three ODIs. The T20I series will kick off in Christchurch on 16 March, while the second match is scheduled to be played in Dunedin on 18 March.

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The third match will be played in Auckland on 21 March, while the subsequent games are scheduled in Mount Maunganui and Wellington on 23 and 26 March, respectively.

Following the T20I series, the teams will travel to Napier for the first ODI, scheduled for 29 March. The second ODI will be played on 2 April in Hamilton, while Mount Maunganui will host the final ODI on 5 April.

Pakistan squads for New Zealand tour

ODIs: Mohammad Rizwan (c)(wk), Salman Ali Agha (vc), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Akif Javed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jnr., Mohammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Sufiyan Muqeem, Tayyab Tahir.

T20Is: Salman Ali Agha (c), Shadab Khan (vc), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Hasan Nawaz, Jahandad Khan, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Omair Bin Yousuf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Usman Khan (wk)

READ: PCB announces free Iftar for fans at Champions Trophy semi-final in Lahore

DUBAI: New Zealand have won the toss and opted to bowl first against India in the 12th match of the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 here at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

Playing XIs

New Zealand: Rachin Ravindra, Will Young, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (wk), Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (c), Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Will O’Rourke

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy

Catch every Champions Trophy update here!

The ongoing 2025 edition marked the return of the ICC Champions Trophy after an eight-year break, with the last tournament being held in 2017, where Pakistan defeated their arch-rivals India in the final.

The tournament began with the teams divided into two groups. Group A featured Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and New Zealand, while Group B included Afghanistan, England, Australia, and South Africa.

Each team played three group-stage matches, and the top two from each group secured a spot in the semi-finals. From Group A, India and New Zealand advanced, while South Africa and Australia progressed from Group B.

READ: Champions Trophy: PCB announces ticket refunds for washed-out matches

New Zealand’s Rachin Ravindra on Monday thanked his support staff and well-wishers for the care after a freak on-field accident as he returned to action with a match-winning century that booked his side’s passage to the semi-finals of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

Ravindra hit 112 as New Zealand marched into the semis, taking India along with them, after his team’s win over Bangladesh in Rawalpindi.

The result meant that Bangladesh and hosts Pakistan both crash out of contention for a place in the semis in the 50-over tournament of the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Ravindra’s fourth ODI ton, on his Champions Trophy debut, sealed New Zealand’s chase of 237 with 23 balls and five wickets to spare.

The left-hander missed New Zealand’s opening victory over Pakistan after being hit by the ball on his forehead when fielding in a recent tri-series match against the same opponents.

Catch every Champions Trophy update here!

“Yeah, definitely a freak accident,” Rachin Ravindra told reporters on Monday. “I think things like that don’t really happen too often.”

“I’m very grateful to have a great support crew around me in terms of Black Caps set up, coaches and doc and physio that have been able to come out of it reasonably well and I’m extremely grateful for the love and support of everyone.”

Ravindra walked into bat with New Zealand in trouble at 15-2 and put on key stands including a 129-run fourth-wicket partnership with Tom Latham, who hit 55.

The knock came after Michael Bracewell returned figures of 4-26 with off-spin to restrict Bangladesh to 236-9.

“It’s obviously been interesting dealing with the return to play protocols and stuff,” said Ravindra.

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“But having the support around me has been great and being able to come here and contribute to a win for the Black Caps, an environment that I hold dearly and I enjoy so much playing for… it was cool to come back and really enjoy my cricket again after that weird moment.”

Ravindra’s latest knock re-affirmed his love for ICC events – he struck a ton on his ODI World Cup debut in 2023 and added another later in the tournament against Pakistan.

“He’s doing Rachin things I guess,” said skipper Mitchell Santner who was full of praise for the 25-year-old who struck 12 fours and a six.

“He loves ICC events. Looks like he never left the game. He wasn’t as fluid as he’d have liked but when he gets going he’s tough to stop. His partnerships were good too.”

New Zealand play their final group match against India in Dubai on Sunday.

READ: Pakistan likely to play five-match Test series against England: reports

RAWALPINDI: New Zealand have won the toss and opted to bowl first against Bangladesh in the sixth match of the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 here at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Monday.

Playing XIs

Bangladesh: Tanzid Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Tohwid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mahmudullah, Jaker Ali, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Nahid Rana, Mustafizur Rahman

New Zealand: Will Young, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Rachin Ravindra, Tom Latham (wk), Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (c), Kyle Jamieson, Matt Henry, Will O’Rourke

Catch every Champions Trophy update here!

The 2025 edition marks the return of the ICC Champions Trophy after an eight-year break, with the last tournament being held in 2017, where Pakistan defeated their arch-rivals India in the final.

The eight-team tournament will feature 15 matches over 19 days, taking place in Pakistan and Dubai.

The teams are divided into two groups for the initial stage. Each team will play three group-stage matches, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the semi-finals.

Group A consists of Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and New Zealand, while Group B includes Afghanistan, England, Australia, and South Africa.

READ: Wasim Akram lashes out at Pakistan cricket team after loss against India

KARACHI: Will Young and Tom Latham’s centuries and clinical bowling performance propelled New Zealand to a comprehensive victory against Pakistan by 60 runs in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 opener at National Bank Stadium in Karachi.

PAK 260 (46 Overs)

47.2: Henry to Naseem Shah, OUT! New Zealand win by 60 runs. Agony for the hosts as they lose their first match

Naseem Shah 13 (15b 0x4 1×6 27m) SR: 86.66

PAK 260/9 (45 Overs)

46.6: Santner to Haris Rauf, OUT

Haris Rauf 19 (10b 0x4 3×6 11m) SR: 190

Santner continues

PAK 245/8 (44 Overs)

O’Rourke to continue

PAK 236/8 (43 Overs)

Santner returns

PAK 229/8 (42 Overs)

43.4: O’Rourke to Khushdil, OUT

Khushdil Shah 69 (49b 10×4 1×6) SR: 140.81

O’Rourke continues

PAK 225/7 (41 Overs)

Henry continues

PAK 213/7 (40 Overs)

O’Rourke back for bowling

PAK 200/7 (39 Overs)

Matt Henry into the attack

PAK 196/6 (38 Overs)

Phillips continues

PAK 187/6 (37 Overs)

Bracewell continues

PAK 183/6 (36 Overs)

Phillips returns

PAK 175/6 (35 Overs)

Bracewell continues

PAK 166/6 (34 Overs)

Santner to continue

PAK 156/6 (33 Overs)

Bracewell returns

PAK 153/6 (32 Overs)

33.6: Santner to Babar Azam, OUT, big wicket

Babar Azam 64 (90b 6×4 1×6) SR: 71.11

Santner continues

PAK 146/5 (31 Overs)

Smith continues

PAK 130/5 (30 Overs)

Santner continues

PAK 128/4 (29 Overs)

30.4: Smith to Salman, OUT. Salman goes!

Salman Agha 42 (28b 6×4 1×6) SR: 150

Nathan Smith into the attack

PAK 124/3 (28 Overs)

Santner continues

PAK 119/3 (27 Overs)

Phillips continues

PAK 104/3 (26 Overs)

Santner continues

PAK 94/3 (25 Overs)

Phillips continues

PAK 84/3 (24 Overs)

Santner continues

PAK 83/3 (23 Overs)

Phillips from the other end

PAK 80/3 (22 Overs)

Santner continues

PAK 72/3 (21 Overs)

Bracewell continues

PAK 70/3 (20 Overs)

Santner comes into bowl

PAK 69/3 (19 Overs)

20.5: Michael Bracewell to Zaman, OUT. Silence in the stands as Fakhar is bowled!

Fakhar Zaman  24 (41b 4×4 0x6) SR: 58.53

Bracewell continues

PAK 66/2 (18 Overs)

Phillips continues

PAK 65/2 (17 Overs)

Bracewell continues

PAK 60/2 (16 Overs)

Phillips continues

PAK 55/2 (15 Overs)

Bracewell to continue

PAK 55/2 (14 Overs)

Phillips continues

PAK 49/2 (13 Overs)

Bracewell continues

PAK 41/2 (12 Overs)

Glenn Phillips comes to bowl.

PAK 24/2 (11 Overs)

Michael Bracewell into the attack

PAK 22/2 (10 Overs)

9.6: O’Rourke to Rizwan, OUT. Flying Glenn Phillips takes screamer.

O’Rourke continues

PAK 21/1 (9 Overs)

Henry to continue

PAK 19/1 (8 Overs)

O’Rourke continues

PAK 14/1 (7 Overs)

Henry continues. A maiden over…

PAK 14/1 (6 Overs)

O’Rourke to continue

PAK 12/1 (5 Overs)

Henry continues

PAK 8/1 (4 Overs)

3.4: O’Rourke to Saud Shakeel, OUT.. gone! New Zealand with an early breakthrough. He is caught on the third man.

Saud Shakeel 6 (19b 0x4 0x6) SR: 31.57

O’Rourke continues

PAK 5/0 (3 Overs)

Henry to continue from the other end

PAK 3/0 (2 Overs)

Will O’Rourke will take the new ball from the other end.

PAK 1/0 (1 Over)

Babar Azam and Saud Shakeel to open for Pakistan. Matt Henry will bowl the first over for New Zealand.

PAKISTAN vs NEW ZEALAND (2nd INNINGS)

Will Young and Tom Latham struck centuries to power New Zealand to 320-5 in the their 50 overs.

NZ 320/5 (50 Overs)

49.4: Haris Rauf to Phillips, OUT!!

Glenn Phillips 61 (39b 3×4 4×6 62m) SR: 156.41

Haris Rauf to bowl the last over.

NZ 306/4 (49 Overs)

48.1: Fifty for Phillips. His quick-fire fifty includes four sixes and one four.

Shaheen Afridi continues

NZ 294/4 (48 Overs)

Haris Rauf returns

NZ 283/4 (47 Overs)

46.2: Shaheen Afridi to Latham, pushes on to the on side for a run, and here it is his eighth ODI hundred.

Shaheen Afridi is back in the attack

NZ 265/4 (46 Overs)

Naseem Shah into his final over

NZ 256/4 (45 Overs)

Haris Rauf returns

NZ 240/4 (44 Overs)

Abrar Ahmed continues

NZ 224/4 (43 Overs)

Khushdil continues

NZ 215/4 (42 Overs)

Abrar Ahmed comes into the bowl

NZ 212/4 (41 Overs)

Khushdil comes back into the attack

NZ 207/4 (40 Overs)

Naseem continues

NZ 198/4 (39 Overs)

Shaheen Afridi continues

NZ 193/4 (38 Overs)

37.2: Length ball, Young heaves to the leg side… and it’s brilliantly taken by sub fielder Faheem Ashraf.

Will Young 107 (113b 12×4 1×6) SR: 94.69

Naseem Shah returns to the attack

NZ 187/3 (37 Overs)

Shaheen Afridi returns

NZ 183/3 (36 Overs)

Haris Rauf continues

NZ 175/3 (35 Overs)

34.2: Will Young sweeps to his century! A measured innings, that did not start smoothly, particularly with wickets at the other end, but a tidy ODI hundred, his first of four overseas.

Abrar Ahmed continues

NZ 171/3 (34 Overs)

Haris Rauf continues

NZ 164/3 (33 Overs)

Abrar Ahmed continues

NZ 159/3 (32 Overs)

Haris Rauf returns

NZ 151/3 (31 Overs)

Abrar Ahmed returns

NZ 148/3 (30 Overs)

Khushdil Shah continues

NZ 139/3 (29 Overs)

Naseem Shah continues

NZ 129/3 (28 Overs)

Khushdil Shah returns

NZ 124/3 (27 Overs)

Naseem Shah to bowl

NZ 119/3 (26 Overs)

Salman Ali Agha continues

NZ 113/3 (25 Overs)

Shaheen continues

NZ 110/3 (24 Overs)

Salman Ali Agha continues

NZ 105/3 (23 Overs)

Shaheen continues

NZ 98/3 (22 Overs)

Salman Ali Agha replaces Khushdil

NZ 94/3 (21 Overs)

Shaheen returns

NZ 93/3 (20 Overs)

Khushdil Shah continues

NZ 86/3 (19 Overs)

Haris Rauf continues

NZ 80/3 (18 Overs)

Khushdil Shah continues

NZ 77/3 (17 Overs)

16.2: Haris Rauf angles the ball in towards the batter, and Mitchell’s attempt to move leg side to create room for the pull doesn’t work and hits high up on the bat and pops apologetically towards mid-on.

Daryl Mitchell 10 (24b 0x4 0x6) SR: 41.66

Haris Rauf continues

NZ 73/2 (16 Overs)

Khushdil Shah comes on to bowl his left-arm spin

NZ 71/2 (15 Overs)

Haris Rauf continues

NZ 68/2 (14 Overs)

Abrar Ahmed continues

NZ 64/2 (13 Overs)

Haris Rauf to bowl his first over

NZ 55/2 (12 Overs)

Abrar Ahmed continues

NZ 50/2 (11 Overs)

Naseem continues

NZ 48/2 (10 Overs)

Abrar Ahmed continues

NZ 45/2 (9 Overs)

8.1: Back of a length, hitting the surface hard enough to find some precious movement away from the batter, who is defending with a full face. The bowl finds a edge and Rizwan takes a low catch.

Kane Williamson 1 (2b 0x4 0x6) SR: 50

Naseem continues

NZ 40/1 (8 Overs)

7.3: Perfect length, pushing Conway back, and then enough grip off the surface to move from leg stump to knock back off!

Devon Conway 10 (17b 2×4 0x6) SR: 58.82

Abrar Ahmed continues

NZ 39/0 (7 Overs)

Naseem returns from the other end

NZ 33/0 (6 Overs)

Abrar Ahmed introduced into the attack

NZ 30/0 (5 Overs)

Shaheen continues

NZ 24/0 (4 Overs)

Naseem to continue

NZ 3/0 (3 Overs)

Shaheen continues

NZ 3/0 (2 Overs)

Naseem Shah to bowl from the other end

NZ 3/0 (1 Over)

Devon Conway and Will Young to open the innings for New Zealand. Shaheen Afridi will take the new ball for Pakistan.

PAKISTAN vs NEW ZEALAND (1st INNINGS)

Pakistan have won the toss and opted to bowl first against New Zealand in the opening match of the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 here at National Bank Stadium on Wednesday.

Playing XIs

Pakistan: Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (c)(wk), Tayyab Tahir, Salman Agha, Khushdil Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed

New Zealand: Devon Conway, Will Young, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (wk), Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (c), Matt Henry, Nathan Smith, Will O’Rourke

This tournament marks the return of the ICC Champions Trophy after an eight-year break, with the last tournament being held in 2017, where Pakistan defeated their arch-rivals India in the final.

The eight-team tournament will feature 15 matches over 19 days, taking place in Pakistan and Dubai.

The teams are divided into two groups for the initial stage. Each team will play three group-stage matches, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the semi-finals.

Group A consists of Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and New Zealand, while Group B includes Afghanistan, England, Australia, and South Africa.

READ: Shubman Gill once again dethrones Babar Azam as No.1 ODI batter