KARACHI: The first match of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Champions Trophy has just begun with the host team Pakistan choosing to field after winning the toss against New Zealand. Captain Mohammad Rizwan has assured that the team has learnt from the mistakes made in the tri-series, and they will try to dismiss New Zealand for the lowest possible score.
Pakistan will face New Zealand in the tournament opener. Here’s everything you need to know before the match starts at 2PM tomorrow.
While it’s just the first match of the tournament, it will be the third time the men in green have clashed with New Zealand this month. The two Champions Trophy squads have now shared the field a fair amount of time. And so far, Pakistan haven’t been able to solve to the Kiwi puzzle.
Pakistan vs New Zealand in tri-nation series
In their first outing against New Zealand, on February 8, Pakistan’s bowlers struggled, allowing the Kiwis to score 330 runs, while only taking six wickets. Glenn Phillips was the standout batter, as he scored 106 runs off 74 deliveries. Shaheen Shah Afridi had the most dismissals with five. Pakistan simply weren’t able to handle the pressure, with New Zealand’s bowlers holding the men in green down to just 252 runs. Matt Henry and Mitchell Santner each took three wickets, while Michael Bracewell had two, and Phillips had one. Fakhar Zaman had the highest score for Pakistan with 84.
New Zealand won by 78 runs.
Also read: ICC Champions Trophy Kicks Off in Karachi with Pakistan vs New Zealand
Both teams would then go on to beat South Africa and face each other again in the tri-nation series finals. However, the result would be the same as their first outing, with New Zealand comfortably beating the men in green. Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Agha had 88 runs together off 120 delvieries, the largest partnershiup of the game.
But, that didn’t stop Will O’Rourke from dismantling the Pakistani batting line-up. O’Rourke had four wickets, while Michael Bracewell and Mitchell Santner each had two, and Nathan Smith and Jacob Duffy each had one.
Pakistan would be held to only 242 runs, a score that was easily surpassed with a couple half centuries from Daryl Mitchell and Tom Latham, as well as 48 runs from Devon Conway. Naseem Shah had two wickets, while Salman Agha, Abrar Ahmed, and Shaheen each had one.
Pakistan will face New Zealand for the third time this month in the tournament opener, with the match scheduled for 2PM tomorrow, February 19. Fans will eagerly watch, hoping that Pakistan finally has an answer for the Kiwi’s.
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