Karachi (Pakistan) [February 20]: Pakistan’s pace sensation Naseem Shah has expressed his disappointment over his team’s lackluster start in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. The defending champions, Pakistan, suffered a 60-run defeat at the hands of New Zealand in the tournament opener in Karachi, which has now made their path to the semi-finals more challenging.
The defeat comes after Pakistan had waited nearly three decades for a global tournament to return to their home country. However, New Zealand spoiled the celebration, handing Pakistan a heavy loss, which now casts a shadow on their chances of progressing through the group stage in the short-format tournament. With only three group-stage matches, every game becomes crucial, and the opening loss has made their upcoming match against arch-rivals India even more significant.
Naseem Shah admitted that the team’s poor start was disappointing and acknowledged the need for improvements. “When you don’t start well, it’s natural to feel disappointed. There are quite a few things we need to fix before the next important match. We have to correct our mistakes and focus on the next game,” Naseem said, as quoted by Geo News.
The turning point of the match came during the final 10 overs of New Zealand’s innings, with Glenn Phillips playing a pivotal role. His quick-fire 61 runs illuminated the Karachi skies, as Pakistan gave away 113 runs in the last 60 balls, which ultimately contributed to their downfall.
Naseem reflected on the final overs and said, “The last six to eight overs didn’t go the way we wanted them to. We need to look at how we can improve in those areas in the next matches.”
With Karachi’s dry pitch offering little assistance to the bowlers, the conditions favored the batters, making it more difficult for Pakistan’s bowlers to control the run rate. “On pitches like these, bowlers don’t get much help. Big scores are very much likely here,” Naseem added, highlighting the challenging conditions faced by his side.
Looking ahead, Pakistan will need to quickly regroup and address their mistakes before facing India in a high-stakes match in Dubai on Sunday.