Champions ODI Cup 2025

Match 1: PAK vs NZ

Preview

The Champions Cup 2025 will kick off on February 19 at the National Stadium in Karachi with a thrilling opening duel between hosts Pakistan and New Zealand. This tournament is paramount for the Shaheens, as it marks their first time hosting a major global cricket tournament since 1996. NZ and PAK will aim to start their campaigns on a winning note. Both teams are in Group A along with India and Bangladesh.  

Both NZ and PAK participated in the Tri-Nation series alongside South Africa ahead of the major event. The Black Caps emerged victorious in all three matches, including the final against the hosts (Pakistan). The chasing side won three of the four games, a common pattern seen in the sub-continent conditions. 

Pakistan are the reigning champions from when the tournament was last hosted in England and Wales in 2013 and their fans will have high hopes from them. 

New Zealand will travel to Dubai in the final round of group fixtures, Before then, though, the Kiwis will be heading into the tournament without the services of the veteran duo of Trent Boult and Tim Southee. 

Match Details

Match: PAK vs NZ, 1st Match, Group A, Champions ODI Cup, 2025

Date: Wednesday, February 19, 2025

Time: 2:30 PM

Venue: National Stadium, Karachi

Squad News

Pakistan

A lot is expected from the Pakistani cricketers whenever a cricket tournament is in town, this time, Rizwan will shoulder the burden of his players. The men in green have not won a major trophy since the 2017 Champions Cup and there are not many better ways to end that drought than winning on home soil.

While New Zealand eased past New Zealand in the Tri-Nation Series final recently, their mammoth 353-run chase against the Proteas, which was led by skipper Rizwan (122*) and Salman Agha (134), displayed the capabilities of an inexperienced side, who on their day can get the best of any opposition. 

Tayyab Tahir and Abrar Ahmed have a combined 13 appearances in One Day Internationals, but both are expected to play in the inaugural match. 

Tahir will have the onus to provide the PAK innings with the late flourish. Meanwhile, Ahmed will be tasked to lead the spin attack. 

Pakistan does have a massive headache ahead of Wednesday. Haris Rauf was taken off the field after bowling only 6.2 overs in the just-concluded Tri-Nation match against New Zealand, but he is back in light training. The speedster is vital to this Pakistan side. He is an experienced campaigner who alongside Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah constitutes a menacing pace trio.   

New Zealand

The Black Caps have become a serious contender in marquee events over the last decade, especially in ODI. While they have crashed out at the first hurdle in the last two editions of the Champions Cup, Kiwis have made it to the semi-final of every World Series since 2007. 

Since 2015, they have raced to the semi-finals of every 20- and 50-over World Series, except the most recent World T20 Series.

NZ is coming off a dominant performance against Pakistan in the Tri-series and will again fancy its chances in the tournament opener. On the batting front, NZ has the likes of Kane Williamson, Glenn Phillips, and Devon Conway. 

A fresh and exciting crop of pacers in the bowling department has come out in light of Boult and Southee’s absences. Matt Henry will shoulder the pace bowling prowess. He will enjoy good support from Will O Rourke and Nathan Smith from the other end. They will however miss the services of Lockie Ferguson who has been ruled out of the tournament due to injury. Kyle Jamieson has been roped into the squad as his replacement. 

Santner will lead the spin bowling department and will also a pivotal role with bat in hand down the order and so will Micheal Bracewell. Not to forget Rachin Ravindra, who has shown promise whenever called upon to bowl. 

 
Pitch and Weather Report

The Tri-Nation Series Final played on Sunday showed that there is something on offer for both the batters and bowlers. 57 was the top individual score and New Zealand easily chased Pakistan’s 242 with 28 balls to spare. 300 seems to be the par total on this ground. 

The match will begin at 02:00 local time, the hottest time of the day with scorching sun at a projected temperature of 29 Degrees Celsius. Even at dusk, it will be over 24 degrees Celsius in Karachi. 

PAK vs NZ Squads

PAK: Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Rizwan(w/c), Salman Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Khushdil Shah, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Usman Khan, Saud Shakeel

NZ: Will Young, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham(w), Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner(c), Nathan Smith, Matt Henry, William ORourke, Jacob Duffy, Kyle Jamieson, Mark Chapman, Rachin Ravindra

PAK vs NZ Probable Playing XIs

PAK: Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Rizwan (c & wk), Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed

NZ: Devon Conway, Will Young, Kane Williamson, Tom Latham (wk), Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner©, Jacob Duffy, Matt Henry, Rachin Ravindra

Match Prediction

As hosts, Rizwan and Co will be eyeing a win. They are familiar with the playing conditions and possess a decent overall squad. However, they are light in the spin bowling department. We’ve seen spinners single-handedly winning games here. So, spin can play a crucial role here. 

New Zealand is in red-hot form right now. Their well-rounded squad covers almost all bases.

We are backing the Kiwis to win this encounter. 

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