Who: Pakistan vs New Zealand
What: ICC Champions Trophy 2025
Where: National Stadium, Karachi, Pakistan
When: Wednesday, February 19 at 2pm (09:00 GMT)
Follow the match’s live commentary on Al Jazeera Sport’s live text and photo stream.
Both hosts’ teams will aim to establish a new standard for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy on Wednesday at the National Stadium in Karachi, where hosts Pakistan and New Zealand will both compete for the trophy.
Pakistan are the second-placed team behind India to win the tournament, but they lost their previous warm-up game against New Zealand on Friday to put the spotlight on this game.
The 2023 Cricket World Cup winners, Australia, are also a team to beat, but Al Jazeera takes a close look at the curtain-raiser in Karachi between two sides who hope to be lifting the trophy on March 9.
Why are defending champions Pakistan not the favourites?
In 2017, Pakistan won the Champions Trophy’s final against India, but the defeated finalists are the tournament’s favorites based on their consistency since then.
Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi, two former Pakistani captains, have been key match-winning players, but their ability to collapse at any time has prefigured their reputation.
The off-field turbulence does not help, either. Gary Kirsten was appointed as white-ball coach last year but soon quit and was replaced by Test-match coach, Jason Gillespie. The former Australian bowler quickly followed his South African predecessor out of the country because they both appeared to be well-known to the players.
What are New Zealand’s chances at the Champions Trophy?
New Zealand, which won the Champions Trophy in 2000, lost to the finalists in the 2019 Cricket World Cup final, and can never be dismissed by major tournaments. The Kiwis consistently produce talent that impresses on both the international stage and in domestic competitions around the world despite not boasting the populace of any other major teams at the tournament and beyond.
The Kiwis are currently ranked fourth in the world, so must be considered a serious contender but topping the two favourites, as well as World Cup-holders Australia, and vanquishing their 2019 conquerors, England, will be a tall order.
When was the last time Pakistan hosted a major tournament?
Following the 2009 attack by gunmen on the Sri Lankan cricket team’s bus in Lahore, which seriously injured six players, international cricket in Pakistan has been severely restricted in recent years.
The Champions Trophy is the first major global tournament to be held in Pakistan in nearly 30 years, and the top teams were criticized for it after the attack.
Form guide – Pakistan
Pakistan enter the tournament with a surprisingly strong form book, despite being defeated by New Zealand on the day of the event. The men in green have won their final three bilateral international matches on the road, including a 2-1 victory over Australia’s top team and a 3-0 defeat over a formidable South Africa side.
Form guide – New Zealand
The micro and macro of New Zealand’s form book are impressive. In four of the last five ICC World Cups, the Kiwis advanced to the knockout stages. They also win the tri-series matchup between South Africa and Pakistan, which they twice defeated.
Sri Lanka, who failed to qualify for the Champions Trophy, tied their series in New Zealand 2-2 in January, with the hosts skittled for 150 in the final match of the four-game series. No batter, other than Mark Chapman (81), reached 20.
Last five ODI matches
- Pakistan: W W L W L
- New Zealand: W L W W W
Head-to-head
By winning three of the previous four ODI matches, New Zealand ended a long run of dominating Pakistan. In seven of the final nine games, Pakistan had already won.
Pakistan team news
On the eve of the Champions Trophy, New Zealand defeated Pakistan, and they are likely to remain unchanged.
According to captain Mohammad Rizwan, Pakistan should continue to have faith in players rather than alter their approach to the tournament.
New Zealand team news
Prior to the Champions Trophy, New Zealand lost Lockie Ferguson due to a foot injury, which set off a second setback.
In a Sunday warm-up game against Afghanistan, the fast bowler suffered an injury.
Kyle Jamieson, who played his most recent one-day international in September 2023, has taken his place in the New Zealand squad.
The injury to Ferguson follows the loss of another fast bowler, Ben Sears, to a hamstring injury.
Pakistan squad
Squad: Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Salman Ali Agha (vice captain), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi
New Zealand squad
Squad: Mitchell Santner (captain), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway (wicketkeeper), Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham (wicketkeeper), Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Ben Sears, Nathan Smith, Kane Williamson, Will Young
Source: Aljazeera
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