PAK vs NZ: Champions Trophy 2025 Opener

The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 will begin on February 19 with a thrilling match between hosts Pakistan and New Zealand. In this match to be played in Karachi, Pakistan will come out to defend its title, while New Zealand will try to continue its recent excellent form.

Mohammad Rizwan will lead Pakistan. He has star players like Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf. At the same time, New Zealand has suffered a setback due to injuries to their key bowlers Lockie Ferguson and Ben Sears, but the Kiwi team led by captain Mitchell Santner always poses a strong challenge.

PAK vs NZ: Champions Trophy 2025 Opener

Pakistan and New Zealand: Team Overviews

The defending champion Pakistan team looks balanced. Its world-class batsmen include Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Fakhar Zaman, while the trio of Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf strengthens the bowling attack. Former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed also believes that Pakistan has the power to defend the title this time.

On the other hand, New Zealand recently performed brilliantly in the tri-series against Pakistan and South Africa, in which they defeated Pakistan by 78 runs in the final. However, their bowling unit has weakened a bit due to the absence of Loki Ferguson and Ben Sears, but Kyle Jamieson and Jacob Duffy will have a chance to prove themselves. In batting, the trio of Kane Williamson, Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra can prove to be the backbone of the team.

Probable Playing XIs for PAK vs NZ

Pakistan’s Probable XI

Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi.

New Zealand’s Probable XI

Mitchell Santner (captain), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Kyle Jamieson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Nathan Smith, Kane Williamson, Will Young, Jacob Duffy.

Players to Watch in the PAK vs NZ Match

Salman Ali Agha (Pakistan):

Pakistan vice-captain and all-rounder Salman Ali Agha is in great form. He was the highest run-scorer for Pakistan in the recent tri-series played between Pakistan, New Zealand and South Africa. He scored 219 runs in three innings, with an average of 73 and a strike rate of 100. His best score was 134 runs, which came in Pakistan’s biggest chase in ODI cricket history. Apart from this, his part-time spin bowling can also prove useful for the team.

Kane Williamson (New Zealand):

Kane Williamson is considered one of the best batsmen in the world. He scored 225 runs in three innings in the tri-series, with an average of 112.50 and a strike rate of 89.64. His best score was 133 runs*, which he made against South Africa. His batting will be the biggest plus point for New Zealand.

National Stadium Karachi Pitch Report

The National Stadium in Karachi is traditionally favourable for batsmen, but as the match progresses, spinners also start getting help. The average first-inning score in recent ODIs played on this field has been between 280 and 300 runs.

If there is dew, then batting in the second innings may be a little easier, due to which the team winning the toss may prefer to bowl first. Fast bowlers may get swing in the beginning, but spinners will dominate in the middle and final overs.

PAK vs NZ: Who Will Win?

Both Pakistan and New Zealand are strong teams, but based on the current form, the Kiwi team may get a slight advantage. The team led by Mitchell Santner recently won the tri-series by defeating Pakistan twice. They won the group match against the host team by 78 runs and by 5 wickets in the final.

However, Pakistan will get the advantage of home conditions and their batting order also looks excellent. If batsmen like Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha play big innings, then Pakistan will have no difficulty in winning.

In this match, the New Zealand team looks a bit stronger, but Pakistan can win the match by taking advantage of their home conditions. This match is almost likely to be close.

Also Read: GGW vs MIW WPL 2025: Mumbai Limits Gujarat to 120 in First Innings