🏏 Pakistan’s ICC Champions Trophy title defense got off to a disappointing start as New Zealand defeated them by 60 runs in Karachi on Wednesday. Pakistan’s sluggish run-chase of 321 was marred by conservative batting, with the defending champions now facing a virtual knockout against arch-rivals India next.
💥 NZ’s Dominance:
✅ 4th consecutive CT win vs Pakistan
✅ Unbeaten against defending champions in tournament history 🏆
📝 Match Summary:
🔵 New Zealand: 320/5 (Tom Latham 118, Will Young 107; Naseem Shah 2/63)
🔵 Pakistan: 260 all out in 47.2 overs (Khushdil Shah 69, Babar Azam 64; Will O’Rourke 3/47)
⚡ Pakistan’s Struggle in the Chase:
- Early Collapse: Saud Shakeel (6 off 19) dismissed by Will O’Rourke – Pakistan 8/1 (3.4 overs)
- Powerplay Woes: Ended at 22/2 with skipper Mohammed Rizwan (3 off 14) falling to Glenn Phillips’ diving catch 💥
- Slow Start: Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman tried stabilizing; Pakistan reached 50 in 15.2 overs 🐢
- Quick Setbacks: Fakhar (deceived by Bracewell) & Salman Agha (42 off 28) fell as the innings stagnated 🛑
- Babar’s Labored Fifty: 50 off 81 balls, eventually out for 64 off 90 – Pakistan 153/6 (34 overs) 📉
- Khushdil Shah’s Fightback:
- Quickfire 69 off 49 balls (10 fours, 1 six) 💪
- Added valuable runs but pressure proved too much 🔥
🧹 Tail-End Effort:
- Brief entertainment from Rauf (19 off 10) and Naseem Shah (13 off 15) but Pakistan folded at 260 💔
🎯 New Zealand’s Bowling Stars:
🥇 Will O’Rourke: 3/47 🌟
🥇 Mitchell Santner: 3/66 🧤
🥈 Matt Henry: 2 wickets 🎯
🥈 Bracewell & Nathan Smith: 1 wicket each 🏏
💬 What Went Wrong for Pakistan?
✅ Overly cautious top-order approach 🐢
✅ Lack of partnerships despite Khushdil’s late surge 🔎
✅ New Zealand’s clinical bowling under pressure 🎯