Live: Abrar-Naseem with quick breakthroughs for Pakistan early in Champions Trophy opener
Abrar Ahmed and Naseem Shah have handed Pakistan early advantage in their ICC Champions Trophy 2025 opener against New Zealand at the National Stadium in Karachi.
With Pakistan skipper Mohammad Rizwan having won toss and opted to bowl first, spinner Abrar Ahmed broke the deadlock in the powerplay, cleaning up Decon Conway with a ripper of a delivery.
In the next over, pacer Naseem Shah got rid of the Black Caps batting talisman Kane Williamson, who lasted for only two deliveries before edging one behind to Rizwan.
Earlier, New Zealand openers Devon Conway and Will Young had displayed positive signs with a streak of boundaries to get the Kiwis up and running in Karachi. WATCH: All on the Line Preview | PAK v NZ | Champions Trophy 2025
aotl MD 1 - PAK v NZ 16x9.mp4 (2025-02-18 15:26:44Z)
Meanwhile, the home side have been given an early scare after Fakhar Zaman was pulled off the field after a fielding attempt in the deep saw him in discomfort.
The two teams had recently featured in the Tri-Nation Series final at the same venue, where the Black Caps emerged victorious, going unbeaten against the hosts and South Africa.
Playing at home, hosting an ICC tournament for the first time since 1996, defending champions Pakistan have high hopes pinned for the eight-team tournament.
In the previous edition of the tournament back in 2017, Sarfaraz Ahmed had led the team to a historic title win, besting India in the summit clash. WATCH: Pakistan v India | Match Highlights | 2017 Champions Trophy Final
Pakistan v India | Match Highlights | 2017 Champions Trophy Final
Playing XI:
Pakistan: Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan(w/c), Salman Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Khushdil Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed
More on Pakistan's squad
New Zealand: Devon Conway, Will Young, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham(w), Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner(c), Nathan Smith, Matt Henry, William ORourke
More on New Zealand's squad ICC Champions Trophy, 2025 News Pakistan New Zealand
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Int'l Cricket Council
21 hours ago
- Int'l Cricket Council
New Zealand reveal schedule for upcoming home summer
New Zealand have released their schedule for the upcoming home summer, with a whopping five different teams visiting for a total of 46 days of international cricket. The three-match ICC World Test Championship series against the West Indies in December highlights the schedule release, but the Black Caps will also host trans-Tasman rivals Australia and England in white-ball series prior to taking on the Caribbean side across all formats. The day New Zealand became the WTC21 Champions Full Match Highlights: The key moments from the ICC World Test Championship Final 2021 as New Zealand beat India to secure their first WTC mace The team will host South Africa in a five-game T20I series in March just outside the expected slot for the next edition of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, while New Zealand's women's side also host the Proteas and Zimbabwe for the first time early in 2026. New Zealand fast bowler Kyle Jamieson is already looking forward to the busy upcoming schedule and is hoping he can continue to feature across all three formats. 'It feels like a marquee summer,' he said. 'The calibre of opposition means we'll be constantly tested for the duration of the season and that's what you want as a cricketer. 'It's great to have another three-Test series at home and I'm sure the fans will get in behind the Test team as they have in seasons gone by. 'It's always special to play in front of a home crowd and we're hoping Kiwis will get out in force to support us once again this summer.' All seven of Kyle Jamieson's WTC21 Final wickets Jamieson played a major role in helping New Zealand claim the first World Test Championship Final against India Much of the White Ferns focus heading into the summer will be the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup in India and Sri Lanka later this year , though batter Georgia Plimmer is excited about what lies ahead in the new year. The White Ferns will host Zimbabwe for the first time across six white-ball fixtures and then have eight matches against South Africa which includes some double headers with the men's side. 'We can't wait for the international season and the chance to play in another ICC Cricket World Cup,' Plimmer said. 'We want to play as much cricket as we can, especially in front of our home fans and it's exciting to have a 14-game home summer to prepare for. 'It's great to see more T20I double headers as they are such a great experience for teams and fans alike and it was awesome to see such strong crowds last season.' Every Georgia Plimmer boundary | WT20WC 2024 Every Georgia Plimmer boundary | WT20WC 2024 Against Australia Oct 1 - 1st T20I, Mount Maunganui Oct 3 - 2nd T20I, Mount Maunganui Oct 4 - 3rd T20I, Mount Maunganui Against England Oct 18 - 1st T20I, Christchurch Oct 20 - 2nd T20I, Christchurch Oct 23 - 3rd T20I, Auckland Oct 26 - 1st ODI, Mount Maunganui Oct 29 - 2nd ODI, Hamilton Nov 1 - 3rd ODI, Wellington Against West Indies Nov 5 - 1st T20I, Auckland Nov 6 - 2nd T20I, Auckland Nov 9 - 3rd T20I, Nelson Nov 10 - 4th T20I, Nelson Nov 13 - 5th T20I, Dunedin Nov 16 - 1st ODI, Christchurch Nov 19 - 2nd ODI, Napier Nov 22 - 3rd ODI, Hamilton Dec 2-6 - 1st Test, Christchurch Dec 10-14 - 2nd Test, Wellington Dec 18-22 - 3rd Test, Mount Maunganui Against South Africa Mar 15 - 1st T20I, Mount Maunganui Mar 17 - 2nd T20I, Hamilton Mar 20 - 3rd T20I, Auckland Mar 22 - 4th T20I, Wellington Mar 25 - 5th T20I, Christchurch New Zealand women's fixtures Against Zimbabwe Feb 25 - 1st T20I, Hamilton Feb 27 - 2nd T20I, Hamilton Mar 1 - 3rd T20I, Hamilton Mar 5 - 1st ODI, Dunedin Mar 8 - 2nd ODI, Dunedin Mar 11 - 3rd ODI, Dunedin Against South Africa Mar 15 - 1st T20I, Mount Maunganui Mar 17 - 2nd T20I, Hamilton Mar 20 - 3rd T20I, Auckland Mar 22 - 4th T20I, Wellington Mar 25 - 5th T20I, Christchurch Mar 29 - 1st ODI, Christchurch Apr 1 - 2nd ODI, Wellington Apr 4 - 3rd ODI, Wellington
Int'l Cricket Council
2 days ago
- Int'l Cricket Council
Recovered Healy focused on World Cup glory in India
Having faced fitness issues over the last few months, Australia captain Alyssa Healy is aiming to go the full stretch in the upcoming ICC Women's Cricket World Cup in India later this year. 'According to science, the ODI World Cups is one of the heaviest loads that we go through as cricketers,' Healy told AAP . 'My aim is to play every game of that World Cup. So to make sure I can do that is important.' Healy's injury troubles began when she suffered a foot injury towards the end of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024, followed soon after by a knee injury in the Women's Big Bash League. The best of Alyssa Healy | CWC22 This restricted the player's participation in Australia's upcoming contests, and while she featured sporadically in a successful Women's Ashes triumph Down Under, she missed out on engagements against New Zealand, and the Women's Premier League in India. With recovery on the right track, the next step in Healy's quest for World Cup appearance is expected to be Australia A's face-off against India in Queensland in August. A win in the World Cup would make Australia the first side to have won back-to-back titles in the tournament since 1988. For Healy, since taking over the side after Meg Lanning's departure in 2023, her goal has been to place them in the best possible position to repeat their 2022 World Cup glory. Australia's CWC22 triumph | The Day After 'That was one of my goals, putting a timeline on it and saying this is where I could take this group, even not knowing what I was going to do personally," Healy said. 'It definitely was a big focus of mine, to get the group to a place to compete at this World Cup, and win the trophy 'It's not so much about the captaincy, or ticking one more box [at a personal level]. It's just that I want to win a World Cup for Australia, and no one has gone back-to-back, which is a real motivator.' With her focus directed on the global tournament in India, any talks of retirement were secondary for Healy. While mindful of her age and the demands of the game, Healy wanted to make up for lost time in the coming months. 'It's [retirement date] probably shifted a little bit,' Healy said. 'It's [injuries have] made me realise that I still want to do a little bit more than maybe what I thought. At the same time, sometimes there's stuff in life that are a little bit more important than pulling on the green and gold. So it's just a constant reassess. 'But at the moment I definitely want to play a home summer. I want to bring the World Cup home, but also to play against India [in 2026 at home].'
The National
18-06-2025
- The National
England v India: Joe Root in a league of his own as he chases Test immortality
The 'Fab Four' was a thing a few years back. Cricket was enjoying a golden period where four young batters were raising the bar constantly and producing incredible performances in all formats. Steve Smith, Virat Kohli, Joe Root and Kane Williamson seemed to have the world at their feet; stylish players with a solid technique, strong leadership qualities and ability to adapt to any condition. Out of these, India great Kohli abruptly retired from the Test format earlier this after a poor run against New Zealand at home and away in Australia. Australia veteran Smith has regained his form to a degree, powering his team to the World Test Championship final where he dropped an important catch against South Africa in the second innings, saw the Proteas lift their first world title, and also hurt his finger in the process. Kiwi legend Williamson's international future remains uncertain as he has turned down a central contract for a second season. So, it's just Root still standing. That did not seem likely a few seasons back as the other three seemed to be forging ahead, while Root embarked upon a strange quest to reinvent his batting in red-ball cricket with the aid of ungainly ramps, reverse scoops and all-out attacking batting. It was a challenge Root took upon himself, tested it as much as he wanted – credit for which must go to an accommodating team management – and now stands at the gates of cricketing immortality. Amid the upheaval, Root, still only 34, has crossed the 13,000-run mark in Test cricket (13,006 to be exact). That is by far the most runs among active cricketers and a little under 3,000 away from the pinnacle – Sachin Tendulkar's tally of 15,921 Test runs. In fact, if Root scores more than 372 runs in the five-match series, he will move up from fifth to second in the all-time Test runs tally, overtaking Ricky Ponting and landing right behind Tendulkar. The right-handed batter still has a good five or six years of cricket left in him, and with England playing almost twice as many matches in each cycle compared to most other sides, Root can and should overtake Tendulkar. That would make the former England captain the most successful Test batter of all time, and secure his position in Test history forever. It is only fair that England get to boast having the most successful batter and fast bowlers (James Anderson and Stuart Broad) in Test cricket; after all, they consistently play more Test matches than other teams and have also funneled all their resources to the red-ball format, at least for the foreseeable future. While the future looks rosy, Root must now plan for the India series that begins this Friday. The five-Test series provides captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum a chance to make a fresh start in their pursuit of Test excellence after a disjointed campaign of the previous cycle that had a lot of noise but limited results; England finished fifth in the table. There is nothing holding back England now. And no one to challenge Root's supremacy either. India are without Kohli, along with captain Rohit Sharma and spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, all now retired from the format. Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah is expected to play no more than three out of the five Tests as the previous five-match series in Australia broke his back. India are being led by young batter Shubman Gill, who is yet to prove his mettle in the Test format and is not yet the undisputed leader of the dressing room. That means if Root and England keep their eyes on the ball, they can start the new cycle on a positive note. By the end of this cycle, England could get a taste of the World Test Championship final, and Root a glimpse of Tendulkar's landmark.
