Friday 21 / February / 2025
Karachi : Captain Mohammad Rizwan admitted that Pakistan didn't expect New Zealand to pile up 320 runs on the board, considering the dominance they exuded after the first 20 overs in the Champions Trophy opener in Karachi.
The Champions Trophy returned after over seven years and did it with some style. New Zealand entertained the crowd with late fireworks in the first innings and a sublime bowling display to cap off a fashionable 60-run victory.
The Kiwis were forced to work hard for each run, considering the tight lengths Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, and Abrar Ahmed bowled at. After losing Devon Conway, Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell with just 73 runs on the board, Pakistan had a firm grip over New Zealand's future.
Tom Latham (118*) and Will Young (107) raised a 118-run stand to write the story of New Zealand's memorable comeback. Pakistan thought they had a moment of reprieve after Naseem forced Young to skew it to Faheem Ashraf.
However, it was just the calm before the storm that Glenn Phillips brought to the dry Karachi strip. With his swashbuckling 61 off a mere 39 deliveries, the Kiwis hammered 113 runs in the final 10 overs, lifting its total to 320/5, a score Pakistan didn't see coming.
"I think they made a very good target; we didn't expect they would get 320. We thought around 260 when we took early wickets. The Will Young-Latham partnership was crucial. We tried, but they played very smartly, and that's why they got to that total. The pitch was not easy to bat early on, but Will Young and Latham's innings were crucial," Rizwan said in the post-match presentation.
It was de ja vu for Pakistan when Phillips ripped apart Pakistan's famed pace trio in the final overs. It all started with Shaheen Afridi conceding 18 runs in the 47th over and Haris spilling 11 in the next over.
Shaheen returned to give away 12 in his final over, and Haris topped it off by conceding 14 runs to seal off another shambolic display in death.
"Our execution in the end overs was not good, and that's why they made that score," Rizwan reflected on Pakistan's performance in death overs.
Before the late fireworks, Pakistan's woes had increased when explosive opener Fakhar Zaman went off the field just two deliveries into the match.
The 34-year-old sprinted after the ball and managed to cut it off, palming it to Babar Azam for the return throw. However, he immediately showed signs of discomfort in his lower back and signalled for a substitution.
Despite walking back to the dressing room unaided by the physio, he had to leave the field to be assessed and examined for muscular sprain. Fortunately, he returned to the field after New Zealand lost their second wicket in the ninth over.
He came out to bat after Rizwan and struggled to run for singles and doubles. He struggled to find his mojo with the injury affecting his strokeplay and eventually returned with a scratchy 24(41).
"Let's see what the result from the [scan] is. We lost momentum twice, first in the death overs and then in the powerplay with the bat. Losing Fakhar Zaman [as opener] was crucial," Rizwan added.
A defeat in their next match against bitter rival India on Sunday could potentially end Pakistan's title defence in the tournament. With high stakes and pressure blowing the roof away, Rizwan said the next match is another "normal match" for Pakistan.
"We didn't want to put pressure on ourselves by thinking we are defending champions. This match is gone, and the next match is another normal match for us," he said.
