Champions Trophy 2025: Young, Latham power New Zealand to 320 against Pakistan

KARACHI: Centuries from Will Young and Tom Latham helped New Zealand set 321 run target against Pakistan in the inaugural match of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 at National Bank Stadium in Karachi.

Pakistan got off to a good start, taking two wickets inside 10 over as opener Devon Conway and Kane Williamson were dismissed by Abrar Ahmed and Naseem Shah respectively.

Devon Conway could score 10 off 17 deliveries before being bowled by Abrar Ahmed in the eighth over. In the very next over, Kane Williamson (1) was caught behind by Mohammad Rizwan off Naseem Shah as New Zealand were left 40-2.

Then Will Young and Daryl Mitchell (10) put up a 33-run partnership before the latter was dismissed by Haris Rauf.

With 77-3, Tom Latham joined Will Young and the duo scored 118 runs for the fourth wicket but the right-handed opener already scored a ton.

Will Young smashed 12 fours and a six as he scored 107 off 113 balls. Tom Latham, however continued to hammer Pakistani bowlers and completed his century with the help of 10 fours and three sixes.

Earlier, Pakistan won the toss and elected to bowl first.

New Zealand came to the event on a high note as they remained unbeaten in the tri-nation series involving Pakistan and South Africa.

The Black Caps defeated Pakistan in the PAK v NZ final of the tri-nation series to lift the trophy.

It’s worth mentioning here that Pakistan and New Zealand have competed in a total of 118 ODI matches. Pakistan leads the head-to-head record with 61 victories, while New Zealand has won 53 matches. Additionally, three matches have ended without a result, and one match ended in a tie.

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

The highly anticipated ICC Champions Trophy 2025 kicked off today, with Pakistan hosting the tournament for the first time in almost three decades.

The eight-team tournament will feature 15 matches across 19 days, with Pakistan, the defending champions, taking on New Zealand in the opening match at the National Stadium in Karachi today.

The tournament will be played across three venues in Pakistan – Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi – as well as in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). The PCB has ensured that all necessary arrangements are in place to host a successful tournament.