Okay, folks! That is it from the opening match of Champions Trophy 2025. We hope you liked our coverage. Do join us for tomorrow's game as India are set to take on Bangladesh in Dubai in their campaign opener. For now, goodbye.

Pakistan are all out for 260 runs and New Zealand win the game by 60 runs. That is a clinical win for the visitors as they never really let Pakistan truly dominate them, especially in the second innings. NZ start their Champions Trophy campaign on a winning note and Pakistan must be under pressure now as they face arch-rivals India in the next game. 

NZ 320/5 (50)

Khushdil Shah is OUT! He has hit it right into the hands of long-on and departs after scoring 69 off 49 balls. That might be the game for New Zealand. Pakistan need 92 runs in 38 balls. The hosts are eight down and they now stare at defeat.

PAK 229/8 (43.4)

Khushdil Shah raced to his half-century in only 38 balls but it seems a bit late for Pakistan now as the asking rate has reached 13.5. Pakistan need 108 runs in 48 balls. Can Khushdil turned the game up for the hosts from this point? Let's see. 

PAK 213/7 (42)

Shaheen Afridi is out for 14 off 13 balls. It was a short ball from Matt Henry that skid off the surface, Shaheen went for the big pull shot but edged it to wicketkeeper Tom Latham. End of 41 overs, Pakistan need 121 runs in 54 balls.

PAK 200/7 (41)

A flighted delivery from Glenn Phillips and Khushdil Shah hit it away for a six over the long-on. It came on the third delivery of the over that fetched Pakistan 9 runs. End of 40 overs, Pakistan need 125 runs in 60 balls.  

A flighted delivery from Glenn Phillips and Shaheen Afridi has smoked it away for a biggie. What a sensational shot that was from number 8 batter of the Pakistan team. Pakistan need 140 runs in 77 balls. It is an uphill task for sure, but in cricket, you never know. 

Plenty of fans were seen leaving the stadiumm, right after the wicket of Babar Azam. He seemed to be the hope of Pakistan in this stiff chase, but once he fell, the fans decided to make their way out of the stadium.

Big fish for New Zealand and that puts them really ahead in this game now. Babar Azam is gone for 64 off 90 balls and it is the veteran spinner Mitchell Santner who provides his side the wicket. It was a tossed up delivery and Babar top edged it to square leg. He is out for 64 off 90 balls and the home team fans are in shock. Pakistan are in all sorts of trouble now.

It seems Babar Azam has now decided to accelerate a bit. He slammed Nathan Smith for a six on the first ball of the over while Khushdil Shah hit a four on the fourth ball. A total of 16 runs came off the over. 

A soft dismissal for Tayyab Tahir and Pakistan are five down now in the chase of 321 runs against New Zealand in Karachi. Mitchell Santner bowled it short and the ball skid on the surface to rush Tahir, who only managed to hit it at short mid-wicket.

Salman Agha is gone for 42 off 28 balls and Pakistan are under further pressure in this game. Agha danced down the track and Nathan Smith smartly bowled a fast short ball. As a result, the batter mistimed it in the air and got out.

Babar Azam has scored his half-century in 81 balls. It has come really slow, especially considering the huge target of 321 that Pakistan are chasing in this game. Nonetheless, the hosts would hope the star batter to take his innings deep and create some real chance if chasing it down.

Salman Agha is fighting hard for Pakistan. He slammed Glenn Phillips for a six and a four in the over that fetched Pakistan a total of 15 runs. Agha and Babar's partnership is doing a good for the hosts but they need some overs like these to stay in hunt. 

Good shot this is from Salman Agha. It was a short ball and the Pakistan batter adjusted well to play the cut short for a four through backward point region. A mishit from Agha on the following delivery and he will get another boundary. Meanwhile, Pakistan cross the 100-run mark. 

Pakistan need 238 runs in the remaining 25 overs. They need 9.52 runs from this point. This is a really tough ask. While their batters have underperformed in this innings, one also should not take the credit of the New Zealand bowlers, who have been really disciplined so far.

23.3 - That is a beautiful delivery from Mitchell Santner but to his poor luck the ball has raced away for a four. The ball was pitched around middle and leg stump and Salman Agha tried to play it on the leg side. The ball turned viciously after that and beat the batter and also the wicketkeeper alongside brushing the stumps, and ran away to the boundary. 

New Zealand get the wicket of Fakhar Zaman and that is the end of the Pakistan batter's struggle as he was facing a lot of difficulty batting out there due to his injury. Michael Bracewell bowled it fuller and Zaman missed the ball while trying to play a slog-sweep. The ball rattled his stumps and Zaman got out for 24 off 41 balls. 

19.4 - There was a chance for New Zealand. Fakhar Zaman had got a top edge while trying to play a slow-sweep. Devon Conway ran forward from deep mid-wicket, did a fine job to reach the ball and grab it but the ball popped out of his hands as soon as his diving elbow hit the ground.

Babar Azam was quite casual in that run and a direct hit raised some interest but the Pakistan batter had comfortably made it to the crease at the other end.

A fuller and flighted delivery from Michael Bracewell and Fakhar Zaman has played a slog-sweep on it for a four. A boundary comes for Pakistan after nearly three overs, 17 balls to be precise. Pakistan need many more like this as the asking rate is already over 8.

Fakhar Zaman is hobbling out their at the middle. He is finding it hard to continue his innings. It seems that the injury that he sustained in the first innings is taking a toll on him now. This is not a good sign for Pakistan. As I type this, Zaman has played a beautiful sweep shot for a four.

PAK 49/2 (15)

Enough is enough says Fakhar Zaman as he steps out of his crease to smash the ball down the ground for a four. Glenn Phillips bowled it with some flight and Zaman took up the challenge. The batter is looking in discomfort. He seems unfit to play this game. On the very next ball, Zaman is struggling even more and he has asked for the physio, it seems.

Oh my word! That is a stunning catch from Glenn Phillips to end the knock of Mohammad Rizwan. It was bowled short and wide from William O'Rourke and Rizwan cut it really hard towards the backward point. Phillips there reacted quickly and pulled off a stunning catch. Rizwan departs for 3 off 14 balls. Pakistan have scored 22 for 2 in the first 10 overs which is also their lowest powerplay total in a home ODI.

PAK 22/2 (10)

Babar Azam hits William ORourke for a four. Pakistan get a boundary after a long gap, such disciplined has been New Zealand's bowling. Babar hit the four through the backward point region. A dot ball follows it, five came off the over.

Wow! That's a classic cover drive from Babar Azam for a four. It was hit so well that the mid-off literally didn't have any chance to give it a try. The fielder gave up too early as the ball whizzed past him for the boundary. This will give Babar a lot of confidence. A dot ball follows. Only four came off the over.

PAK 12/1 (5)

Big blow for Pakistan as they have lost an early wicket in the big chase of 321 runs. It was a short of length delivery from William O'Rourke outside off-stump and Saud Shakeel threw his bat to his. He got a thick outside edge and the third man took the catch. 

Another tight over from New Zealand. William O'Rourke started with a wide ball but made a good comeback in the following deliveries to only concede a single on the next five balls. This is a good and disciplined start from New Zealand.

Only a single came off Matt Henry's first over. Saud Shakeel got off the mark on the first delivery of the innings while Babar Azam carefully played the next five balls.

Babar Azam and Saud Shakeel are out there at the middle to start Pakistan's chase. The southpaw takes the strike, while Babar is at the other end. New Zealand's Matt Henry has the new ball in hand. Here we go...

"Means a great deal obviously. The start of the Champions Trophy and to start like that is a special feeling. 320 is a good total, didn't look that possible after those 3 early wickets. Tommy (Latham) came out with the fire and we managed to keep the board rolling. We will have to see how the wicket behaves. Was difficult when they bowled back of a length and it did spin as well," said Will Young at the innings break.

It is the end of 50 overs of action and New Zealand have posted a big total of 320 for 5. Tom Latham (118 not out) and Will Young (107) scored solid centuries while Glenn Phillips also contributed with a quickfire 61 that came off only 39 balls. 

Glenn Phillips is gone for 61 off 39 balls. End of an entertaining and crucial knock. He wanted to reverse sweep it over the short third man but failed to do it. Fakhar Zaman, who has returned to the field, took the catch. Two balls remaining in this innings.

NZ 316/5 (49.4)

11 runs came off Haris Rauf's over. Tom Latham slammed a six in it. Runs keep coming for New Zealand and now they are only six runs away from the mark of 300.

Batter Glenn Phillips was doing shadow practice with his bat without spotting umpire Richard Kettleborough. He swung his bat with power and the umpire narrowly escaped a serious injury. Meanwhile, Tom Latham raced to his century in the 47th over. Shaheen Afridi leaked 18 runs in the over and New Zealand look all set for a 300-plus total now.

NZ 283/4 (47)

Glenn Phillips also hit a six on the fifth ball of Haris Rauf's over that fetched New Zealand a total of 16 runs in it. New Zealand could still reach 300 from this point. Anything around it could be a really good total to defend on this track.

44.1 - A fuller ball from Haris Rauf onto the pads of Glenn Phillips and that has been smashed away for a four. The ball went towards the cow corner for the boundary.

Not much spin on that fuller ball from Khushdil Shah and Glenn Phillips has slammed it away for a biggie. Much-needed boundary for New Zealand as the runs have dried up for them. Last two overs fetched only 8 runs.

39.2 - A fuller delivery onto the pads from Naseem Shah and Tom Latham flicked it away nonchalantly for a six. There is a fielder at deep mid-wicket but the ball sailed over him.

There is the breakthrough Pakistan needed. It was a length ball bowled at stumps and Young wanted to go for a big one. He didn't get the pull shot from the middle of his bat and the ball went high in the air. Substitute fielder Faheem Ashraf made a good run from deep mid-wicket to deep square leg to take the catch. Young fell for 107 off 113 balls.

We are into the 37th over and New Zealand are well in control of this game at the moment. The duo of Tom Latham and Will Young have added 114 runs for the fourth wicket so far. Pakistan are wicketless for more than 20 overs. Last New Zealand wicket had fallen at 16.2.

Tom Latham races to his half-century in 61 balls. New Zealand look well in control at the moment. They should focus on accelerating a bit from here though as the scoring is just around 5 at the moment. 

CENTURY!!!! Will Young takes a single off Abrar Ahmed's delivery and brings up his century in style. It is his fourth ODI century for New Zealand as he brings it up in 107 balls. Wonderful batting from Young as New Zealand aim to post huge total in this innings. 

NZ 172/3 (34.2 overs)

OHHH NOO!!!! That was an opportunity for Pakistan to get a breakthrough but they just missed it. Tom Latham plays a shot off Haris Rauf's delivery towards the mid-wicket as Abrar Ahmed tries his best to grab the catch. However, he falls short as the ball gets down on the grass and Latham gets a crucial lifeline. Bad luck for Pakistan. 

NZ 165/3 (33.2 overs)

New Zealand have yet another big over as Tom Latham unleashes his fury on Khushdil Shah. In the previous over of the spinner, Latham hits two brilliant boundaries as Khushdil leaks nine runs. Currently, Latham has breached the 30-run mark and nearing his half-century. 

NZ 148/3 (30 overs)

Inching closer towards his century, Will Young survives a close run out call. In the previous over of Naseem Shah, Young plays a shot and runs for a single. While completing the run, Young quickly makes his way towards the bowler's end but the mid-on fielder grabs the ball and makes a direct hit. However, Young's bat was grounded and he survives the call. 

NZ 137/3 (28.5 overs)

FOUR!!! Terrific boundary from the bat of Will Young against Naseem Shah. In the previous over of the pacer, Young makes a good used of the speed and then hits it backward of square on the on-side as the ball races away to the ropes for a four. 

NZ 124/3 (27 overs)

Will Young is comfortably dealing in boundaries and creating a lot of trouble for Pakistan. In the previous over of Salman Agha, the duo of Young and Tom Latham scores five runs. Currently, Young has breached the 70-run mark and inching closer towards his century. 

NZ 110/3 (24 overs)

In search of another wicket, Pakistan skipper Mohammad Rizwan calls his star pacer Shaheen Afridi back into the attack. In his previous over, Shaheen leaks only one run as Will Young and Tom Latham eye boundaries in the upcoming overs. 

NZ 94/3 (21 overs)

After completing his half-century, Will Young continues the carnage with the bat. This time, he hits a terrific boundary off Haris Rauf. Young swivels across, picks the length early and then pulls it through square leg, the fielder in the deep was barely 15 yards away, but he has no chance. In total, Rauf leaks six runs.

NZ 86/3 (19 overs)

FIFTY!!! Will Young takes a single off Haris Rauf's delivery and brings up his half-century in style. It is his 11th half-century in the ODI format for New Zealand and he brings it up in 56 balls. Terrific batting from Young as New Zealand continue to dominate. 

NZ 77/3 (17 overs)

OUT!!! Haris Rauf has broken the mighty partnership between Daryl Mitchell and Will Young as he dismissed the former for 10. Mitchell backed away, opened up the front-leg and then miscued the pull, hit high on the bat and the ball lobbed down Shaheen Afridi's throat at mid-on. Third wicket gone for New Zealand. 

NZ 73/3 (16.2 overs)

Despite losing two wickets in a quick succession, New Zealand are holding the momentum and moving ahead in the game. Will Young is standing like a solid pillar for the Kiwis and confidently dealing in boundaries. Currently, Young is standing unbeaten at 48 and inching closer towards his half-century. 

NZ 71/2 (15 overs)

Fakhar Zaman has not returned to the field yet. He was injured while fielding on the second ball of the ongoing innings. We are into the 13th over and there is no news of the batter yet. This is a serious concern for Pakistan.

Will Young is lucky there. It was a short ball from Haris Rauf. Young pulled it got a leading edge. To the batter's good luck, the ball flew over the in-field for a six. Hard luck for Rauf.

11.5 - Will Young gets an inside edge and the ball runs away for a four through fine leg. Abrar Ahmed bowled a googly and Young got an inside edge on it. There was a fielder inside the circle at short fine leg, but he was too wide. As a result, the ball ran away for the boundary quite easily.

11 overs are gone and New Zealand have reached the 50-run mark. This is a slow and shaky start for the side. They need a strong third wicket stand to make a comeback in this game.

OUT!!! And Pakistan have got their second wicket as well with Naseem Shah dismissing the dangerous Kane Williamson for 1. A brilliant delivery from Naseem as the ball touches the outside edge of the bat and wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan takes a brilliant catch behind the stumps. Second wicket for New Zealand..

NZ 40/2 (8.1 overs)

OUT!!! WOAH!!!! Pakistan finally have their first breakthrough of the day and it comes after young spinner Abrar Ahmed removes Devon Conway for 10. Conway gets completely confused by the spin of Abrar. He tries to deliver a carrom ball but it does not turn much as it dodges Conway's bat and then rattles up the off stump. First wicket of Champions Trophy 2025 is here. 

NZ 39/1 (7.3 overs)

FOUR!!!! WHAT A SHOT FROM WILL YOUNG!!!! Young patiently waits for Shaheen Afridi's delivery and punches it late to get it to the left of backward point for a boundary. Terrific shot from Young as Sheen concedes six runs in the over. 

NZ 30/0 (5 overs)

Pakistan are desperately eyeing their first wicket, in order to gain an upper hand in the early stages of the match. However, New Zealand openers Devon Conway and Will Young are making the proceedings difficult for them with their steady batting performance. In the previous over of Naseem Shah, the duo scores seven runs, which include a boundary from Young. 

NZ 24/0 (4 overs)

FOUR!!! WOW!!! This boundary from Devon Conway's bat on Shaheen Afridi's delivery is just phenomenal. Back of length ball onto the body, doesn't rise as much as expected as has Conway a bit uncomfortable playing the swivel pull. Still manages to connect it well behind square as the ball races across the boundary line for four. 

NZ 15/0 (2.4 overs)

New Zealand openers Will Young and Devon Conway are forming a good partnership and taking their side ahead in the game. In the previous over of Naseem Shah, the duo scores five runs, which include a brilliant boundary from Conway. They will be eyeing more boundaries in the upcoming overs. 

NZ 8/0 (2 overs)

OOHH NOO!!!! Pakistan have faced an injury blow just on the second delivery of the Champions Trophy opener. Will Young plays a shot off Shaheen Afridi's delivery towards the extra cover. Fakhar Zaman from mid-off chased after it and seems like he's done some damage to his knee or sides. He has now been taken off the field. 

NZ 3/1 (0.2 overs)

The first match of the highly anticipated Champions Trophy 2025, between Pakistan and New Zealand finally begins. For New Zealand, Devon Conway and Will Young will be opening the proceedings. The duo is eyeing a solid opening partnership, in order to give the Kiwis a good start. On the other hand, Shaheen Afridi will be bowling the first over for Pakistan. Let's play!! 

As soon as the national anthems got over, the audience got a visual treat with an incredible airshow over the National Stadium in Karachi. The visual leaves all the fans and the commentators spell bound. 

Players of both the teams are out on the field for their respective national anthems. The first match of Champions Trophy 2025 will begin shortly. Stay tuned!!! 

New Zealand (Playing XI): Devon Conway, Will Young, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham(w), Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner(c), Nathan Smith, Matt Henry, William ORourke

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

"The dew gets on later, but we have a job to do with the bat. Looks like a good wicket. We have a good mix of experience and new faces, and are playing some good cricket as well. We have been lucky to play these guys home and away, so we know each other well. What's most important is getting used to the conditions here in Karachi. The injuries we've had are unfortunate, but are confident with the boys that we have out here. Matt Henry comes back in for us."

"We will bowl first. Seen the last couple of matches dew comes in later, so want to maximise on that. We are the defending champions so will be in a bit more pressure, but we will treat it like the previous tri-series. Playing in Pakistan will be great as well. Haris Rauf is fit again so he's back in."

Pakistan skipper Mohammad Rizwan won the toss and opted to bowl against New Zealand in the opening match of Champions Trophy 2025 on Wednesday in Karachi. 

"The off side is 62m for the right hander and the leg side is 67m. The boundary down the ground is longer. The surface is very dry with a lot of cracks. Looks like a good wicket, we have seen mixed results here in terms of run chases. An ideal target has to be around that 300 mark. Spinners will be in the game with the cracks and dry patches in the good length area."

YUVRAJ SINGH TALKING ABOUT VIRAT KOHLI. 🇮🇳pic.twitter.com/oQjXRlRQEU

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) February 19, 2025

Matches played: 3

Pakistan: 0

New Zealand: 3

Last Result: New Zealand beat Pakistan by 5 wickets (Johannesburg, 2009)

Matches played: 118

Pakistan: 61

New Zealand: 53

Tied: 1

No Result: 3

Last Result: New Zealand beat Pakistan by 5 wickets (2025)

Last 5 Results: NZ-3 | PAK-2

With home advantage on their side, Pakistan hopes to turn its fortunes around. Lahore, Babar Azam’s hometown, is one of three cities hosting matches, and he believes local conditions will play a crucial role. “When you play at home, you get an edge as you know the conditions. But still, you have to play good cricket because all other teams are among the best.”

“I am very excited. We are going to have an ICC tournament in Pakistan after a very long time. As a player, I am very excited, and all the fans are excited. When you have responsibility as a senior player and the team relies on you, I take it in a positive way. I try to give my best in every match so that Pakistan wins, and I enjoy my cricket," ICC quoted Babar as saying. 

Babar Azam, Pakistan’s premier batter, is gearing up to lead his nation in a historic ICC Champions Trophy on home soil. Nearly eight years after helping Pakistan clinch the 2017 title, the star batter is determined to guide his team to another triumph, this time in front of their passionate fans.

Karachi is ready to host the opening game of Champion trophy pic.twitter.com/Ai5pranAwG

— Babar Azam ARMY🪖 (@Masoodkhan9005) February 19, 2025

Several barriers had to be hurdled over to cobble this tournament together after eight years. The tournament is also crucial amid the raging debate on the relevance of ODI cricket, which is struggling to find its space amid the rage for T20 cricket and the devotion for Test format. Perhaps, no other cricketing event in the recent past has been harried so much by long-standing geopolitical tensions, stubbornness by administrative boards of two important participants, and the nail-biting anxiety over the readiness of venues in the main hosting nation.

Pakistan captain, Mohammad Rizwan said, “A global event has come to Pakistan after 29 years, so I believe the entire nation is celebrating this historic occasion. There are no doubts about our performance, we have worked hard and learned from our mistakes. We hope that we play well tomorrow Insha’Allah. Our sole focus is on winning the tournament for the country and our people and we hope that we achieve the desired results."

New Zealand, placed in Group A along with India, Bangladesh, and host Pakistan, will look to clinch their second Champions Trophy title after 2000. However, in the recent ICC tournaments, the team has established themselves as a force to reckon with in the title battle.

Pakistan will not be getting overconfident in the build-up to the first ICC tournament taking place in the country since 1996 as they suffered two consecutive losses against New Zealand in the Tri-nation ODI Series in Pakistan in the build-up to the tournament.

Pakistan enter the tournament as the defending champions, having beaten India in the final of the 2017 edition, led by Sarfaraz Ahmed. Fakhar Zaman was the Player of the Final for his imperious 114 off 106 deliveries, while Hasan Ali was named the Player of the Tournament for his tally of 13 wickets in five games.

Pakistan couldn't quite impress as they squared off against New Zealand and South Africa in the recently-concluded tri-series. The Kiwis won all of their matches as they emerge triumphant to take the trophy home. However, the series was only a preparatory assignment, aimed at understanding the conditions in Pakistan. Will New Zealand continue their red-hot form or Pakistan will bank on home advantage to sail through?

For the first time in 29 years, Pakistan are hosting an ICC event. Over the course of the last two decades, the country has had a lot to face, especially after the 2009 terror attack on the Sri Lanka team in Pakistan. The PCB has claimed that Pakistan is as safe as any other country for sporting activities. The board's claims will be put to test in the coming weeks.