Pakistan vs New Zealand, Champions Trophy 2025 Highlights: Babar Azam, Khushdil Shah’s fifties fall short as NZ defeat PAK by 60 runs

They made a good target, we didn't expect that. We were looking at something around 260. We tried our best and used all tactics, but they played well and put up a good target. We see the pitch conditions, earlier the pitch wasn't easy to bat but Will Young and Latham's time was easier. At the end time, we made the same mistake and they made a good target. Not sure yet, he hasn't got his result yet. He is in some pain. We lost the momentum twice - once while bowling in the death and then while batting in the powerplay. It is disappointing for us, we played it like a normal match. The match is gone now and hopefully we can do better in the rest.

Yeah, certainly helps when you played on a surface before. Felt nice to contribute, Will Young played exceptionally and then to get to 320 was just brilliant. When I came in, it was about building a partnership. We could do that and then improve the run rate, and then GP came in and played an exceptional hand once again. Gave us the momentum to get through to the second innings. At the back end, you want to get as many as you can. Glad we could today. There was a lack of dew today so the ball turned quite a bit, it was better to bowl second with conditions like that.

Matt Henry cleans up Naseem Shah and that is it. New Zealand beat Pakistan by 60 runs. Right at the end batting did get easier however, they did not have the wickets left by that phase of the game. In fact it seemed like the way they were batting in the initial overs it did feel like dew would come in and ease out the batting but they dug too bigger a hole in the Powerplay. The likes of Mitchell Santner have bowling brilliantly in the second innings. He did come a touch later into the attack but when he did come in he did make the difference. That is it folks from us for today we will be back with presentation. 

Mitchell Santner has come back into the attack with two-right handers in and the plan clearly seems to be to toss it up as slowly as possible and let the Pakistan lower-order batter go for it. The crowd who expected a lot and came in today would be disappointed with the way things have gone today. But that's how the sport goes. Tomorrow we go to Dubai where India will play their first game against Bangladesh. It is the same group game. It will be interesting to see how the surface in Dubai plays and how things unfold under lights with dew. Today there might not be dew but in Dubai, there will be definitely however, the game starts as early as 1 so it will be quite a fascinating dynamic tomorrow to watch and how conditions would be different from Dubai and Karachi.

Kushdil Shah is hitting a few hefty blows here but it seems a touch too late. This is also a good chance for New Zealand to test the death bowling skills of both Matt Henry and O Rourke. While Henry is exceptional with the new ball there have been instances in the past he has shown vulnerability bowling at the death. It will be a good challenge for him up against Kushdil. However, we might soon see Santner come in and chance his arm. He still has a couple of overs left. It will be a gamble to bowl against Kushdil at this stage. As we update O Rourke picks up Kushdil Pakistan have lost eight wickets. 

Matt Henry has come back into the attack and picked up Shaheen Shah Afridi. The left-hander tried to whack one the leg-side and got the edge to the keeper. William O Rourke has come in as well it might be all pace from here making the Pakistan tail uncomfortable. ICC tournament has returned to Pakistan after 25 years but it has been as disappointing as it gets. Apart from the first 15 overs in the bowling innings in the noon, they were not in the competition. The frustrating part for them is they did not even have had their moments. A Pakistan loss usually is self-inflicted in tournaments like this but today the skills of both teams looked apart. As we update Khusdil gets to his half-century. This is good from the batter he has shown postive right from ball one and is reaping the rewards right now. 

This is top start for New Zealand in the tournament. After a mauling they took at the 2024 T20 World Cup coming with a reputation which they do this is a very good start and probably a statement start. They are not into the next round yet by all means but the team looks like well-oiled machine. The batters looked in decent knick to put in 320 runs in the first innings. Both Mat Henry and O Rourke have looked sharp with the new ball. Nathan Smith who bowled a couple of overs might be the only weak link in this bowling attack apart from that they have looked very good. They face Bangladesh next on 24th February in Rawalpindi and if they manage to win that win they will have one foot in the semi-finals.

If there were to be some dew maybe it would have been a good contest but unfortunately, there wasn't and all we could witness today is some brilliant batting from New Zealand in the first innings and some exceptional spin bowling from New Zealand.  Where Pakistan can go from here is the question now that will loom large. It is not a World Cup where one loss won't make much difference as there is still a long way to go. One loss in this tournament is what might be enough for the team to get eliminated. Pakistan would hope to beat India on Sunday and will hope India beats New Zealand assuming Pakistan themselves don't get beaten by Bangladesh which is quite a possibility given the mercurial nature of Pakistan cricket. 

This has just got bad to worse for Pakistan as the evening has gone on. It is very hard for them to get a win out of this game but maybe with them batting out 50 overs, they can limit the damage of NRR which might be too much if they try to play a lot more shots and lose their way and end up by losing 100-120 runs. With the current situation if they do manage to play normal cricket they might get up to 270-280 which might not be as bad it seems in the grand scheme of things and will keep them in contention when they do go and face India on Sunday. And if they manage to beat them there the cat just might be set among the pegions. But as of now it just might be about limiting the damage from here on. As we update Mitchell Santner's picks of Babar Azam. Tried to slog sweep got the top edge and the Kane Williamson at mid-wicket has taken the catch. 

Nathan Smith comes in and slips in a slower bumper. Salman Agha dances down the track to hit him through the mid-wicket region however, gets the top edge and the ball goes high up in the air and the bowler himself takes the catch. It was a good inning from Salman Agha but more than a cameo it had to be somewhat like a 70-ball 100 if Pakistan had to genuinely threat this game. Tayyab Tahir has walked into the middle and it is not going to be easy it all. This will require a superhuman effort from hand Babar Azam as well who is striking at a mere 60 at the moment. Pakistan just never were in the chase here. As we update Tayyab Tahir hits one straight to Kane Williamson at mid-wicket of Mitchell Santner

Since Salman Agha has walked into the crease there is a spring in the step to the innings. He is playing some lovely shots at the moment and within no time he has moved into his 30s. It is not bad to bowl spin in these conditions but with two right-handers in the middle Santner might just consider bringing in Nathan Smith for a spell here. Though there is no dew yet the counter-attack from Salman Agha just seems to put New Zealand on the back foot or they just did not expect this coming seems like. The momentum has certainly swung here for Pakistan but there is still a lot of work that needs to be done. Babar Azam who has been playing second Fidel too needs to up the ante. 

The New Zealand spinners have bowled brilliantly here since coming into the attack. They are getting quite a bit of turns with the oddball. Mitchell Santner especially has only bowled three overs so far but is looking in very good rhythm. He is getting solid revs of the ball and the pace at which his bowling has been exceptional. Glenn Phillips who is operating at the other end might not have wickets to show for but is giving a proper rip of the ball. Once again it comes down to the toss it is a double-edged decision in these conditions the day when dew doesn't come down the pitch, especially in the ODI format just continues to get slower and slower and spinners just get more and more as the ball gets older and softer. 

Salman Agha has been in brilliant form in the tri-series and he needs to score another massive innings here. Not only does he needs to score them big but also has to score them quickly. Meanwhile Babar Azam at the other end is just stuck with his innings he is unable to get the runs coming. That is what happens when there is a batter who cannot run the singles and all has to do is score boundaries. That innings from Fakhar Zaman has definitely sucked out the momentum of Babar's innings. This is increasingly looking like a one-sided game. There are still no signs of dew and the odd ball is gripping and turning. 

We are reaching the 20th over mark and required run rate for Pakistan is about 8.5 now and they have to sustain it for the next 30 overs. Fakhar Zaman though is giving his all to get the boundaries it is the balls in between which are going nowhere. That has to change for Pakistan soon rather than later. Either Zaman has to deliver over of a couple of boundaries or just find a way to push for a single somehow and let Babar take the responsibility. Meanwhile, Babar from the other end has not faced many balls but is playing to the situation with two off-spinners operating the match up is favouring him. He is getting an odd boundary away and also rotating the strike nicely. As we update Bracewell picks up Fakhar. He tried to slog sweep the ball and missed completely and the stumps are rattled. The painful stay of Zaman comes to end at the crease.

It has been New Zealand's passage of play. They have bowled exceptionally well. Hit the right areas and made the batters force the play. They have also fielded well the likes of Glenn Phillips has been top-notch at the point. As per Pakistan they just could not get their innings going so far and one more noticeable thing is there is no dew yet. The odd ball is keeping low and an odd ball is turning and gripping in the surface as well. This was already a tricky chase for Pakistan to start with but now it has become even more complicated. Mitchell Santner still is yet to bring himself into the attack and neither did he use another pacer Nathan Smith in his bowling attack.

Fakhar Zaman is struggling here in the middle at the moment. It just might be wise for him to retire hurt and let the next batter come in and build a partnership with Babar Azam. What this will do is deprive Babar Azam of strike which will affect his flow of innings as well. And with no rotation of strike, it is easier for the bowling team to plan for one batter and that is what New Zealand is doing here. They are letting two off-spinner bowl and they are bowling slower and wider. It will be interesting who will blink first. Will Fakhar get out to off-spinners or will he get the better of them and we will see Santner himself making the bowling changes? Whatever happens Pakistan to stay in this game has to score some quick runs just to get runs under control.

Fakhar Zaman who injured himself in the first innings is unable to take singles. His role is pretty clear now he is going to go after the bowling and get as many as he can. They are in all sorts of trouble here in Pakistan to say the least. Everything is going in the way of New Zealand their fielding has been top notch their bowling has been disciplined and Pakistan have shot themselves in the foot 13 overs into the chase. Michael Bracewell has come into the attack to bowl to Fakhar Zaman. It just might be a carrot-dangling moment from Santner to see how many can Fakhar middle early on his innings against the spinner.

Pakistan have fallen way behind in this game already though they have only lost one wicket in this Powerplay they have scored at around 2 in a chase of about 6.5 runs per over. As we update Mohammad Rizwan departs. The batter tried to cut O Rourke however Glenn Phillips fielding at point takes a stunner. It did come of the middle but that is how it goes in the game sometimes. When it starts to go against you it pours. With not many runs on the board, Pakistan have now lost their second wicket. This will take something remarkable from here for Pakistan to get back into this game. The Powerplay is done but we are afraid the winner of this game just seems to be already clear. 

Pakistan is digging themselves into a bit of hole here. The runs have stopped coming the singles are hard to get the boundaries have been cut down with some exceptional fielding and cutting down the angles. Sooner are later something needs to give for Pakistan either they pick one of the bowlers and go after him or they just might lose a wicket trying to do so. Chasing 321 runs this is a tad bit slower than what they would have wanted. Yes they still have Fakhar Zaman to come and some other players who can hit the long ball but they need to be around at least scoring at sixes just to keep up with rate. If the run rate manages to spike up to 7s and 8s by 20th over mark it will be a long way to comeback from there no matter how powerful or long the batting order is. 

William O Rourke is steaming in here and that is what did Saud Shakeel he was trying to get away in his innings trying to play some drives through off-side which eventually brought about his downfall. The other problem with Shakeel was there were hardly any soft hands tap the ball into the ground and take one or two to get to the other end and share the pressure which is what New Zealand batters did well in the first innings. He was just stuck at the batting end for the bowlers to plan for him which has eventually brought about his downfall. Mohammad Rizwan has walked into the middle and still no signs of Fakhar Zaman. One thing about both Babar and Rizwan is there will definitely be a healthy rotation of strikes. They are experienced campaigners and will know how to go about this chase. 

Matt Henry and William O Rourke have taken the new ball for New Zealand usually under the lights there is a slight bit of nibble for the seamers who are willing to pitch it up in sub-continent but these conditions here have shown no signs of it yet. Anything pitched up has been easy to drive for the batters. Saud Shakeel has already played a few sumptuous drives through the off-side which have hit the fielders. It will be interesting to see how Mitchell Santner will go about his bowling changes in this innings as he has to bring in his spinners early in the piece just to ensure they have some effect before the dew sets in and becomes tougher and tougher to grip the ball once dew sets. As we update William O Rourke picks up Saud. It was wide one and Shakeel flashed it and the ball carried to third man and Matt Henry took a lovely catch at third man diving forward. 

Saud Shakeel has walked into open as Fakhar Zaman was injured in the first innings while fielding and was sent in for treatment for a while and will not be allowed to bat until the time is done for the number of overs he missed in the first innings. It is going to be a fascinating chase do stay with us. 

Means a great deal obviously. The start of the Champions Trophy and to start like that is a special feeling. 320 is a good total, didn't look that possible after those 3 early wickets. Tommy (Latham) came out with the fire and we managed to keep the board rolling. We will have to see how the wicket behaves. Was difficult when they bowled back of a length and it did spin as well.

Gill is a classy player and there was no doubt about him. we keep mixing formats, but he has been doing well in the format. His numbers are crazy. He has been superb for us. There is a reason why he is elevated to vice captain

On chasing here: I dont go with a set plan. Whether it is batting first or second. We need to look at the pitch and speak to the ground staff. All the recent matches here are T20s so not sure what to take from it. We have to plan as per the opposition. What they are comfortable with and not… we will have a chat and decide.

On Kuldeep and Shami: they are fine in terms of fitness. All we wanted from Shami was to wear the India jersey and he has done that. He is totally fine and has done the job for years now. It is about finding the rhythm

Kuldeep is again similar. Had an operation and for him also it was important to get the games. It was not about numbers. But as a captain I have faith in him and he seems to have prepared well and if they are in form the team will look totally different.

Whether it is World Cup or T20 World Cup or Champions Trophy you don’t have much time to make a comeback. In 50 over World Cup with 9 matches you have an opportunity. But if you keep thinking about it you will go mad

On Varun: he doesn’t bowl too many variations to us and don’t want to show us his skills. But if he has so many weapons and bowls it when it matters it is all that counts. He is very impressive and that’s why we got him. Let’s see what happens.

On  CT: it is happening after 2017 which is after 8 years. Every ICV tournament is important. It is no different here. Very important tournament for all is. We have to do lot of things right to hold the trophy. That will be our goal and how we think about one game at a time

On 5 spinners: We have just two spinners. The rest three are all-rounders. Others have seam bowling all rounders but we have three. They give different dimension to the game and give us lot of depth. We wanted players who have two skills.

On bashing net bowlers: both were really good pacers. Got good feedback about them
Saying they were quicks. We had a chat and they live here

On the venue: it is about accessing the pitch as quick as possible and then let your mind takeover. We have played lot over here and it assists all type of bowlers. So you have to access here quickly and let your instinct and situation of
Game take over.

We will play this tournament like any other. Playing for India means a lot to us. There will be times where we would miss certain players but we have quality depth in the side and we are confident about doing well here. We can’t think far. It is about doing well tomorrow and take it forward.

On England series: playing that series we knew we didn’t have enough games. Whatever we wanted to do, the brand of cricket we want to play, we did it on all games. We wanted to tick off boxes and we did that.
scored runs and got a team like England below par as well. All in all it was a good series. We wanted to start things that we left off at the World Cup and at the Champions Trophy. Dubai will obviously be a different challenge.

On conditions: I’m not sure about dew. It is unpredictable. For us in India despite knowing conditions we have been surprised. We can’t be prepared based on that. If it’s overcast we have the arsenal to combat that. We have bowlers to exploit it and batsmen’s also know what to do in such conditions.

Scoring hundreds at the top is the secret to success. Our top 4 is settled and experienced. They understand that… between Top 4 one of them has to get a century. But in World Cup we chipped and didn’t have lot of hundreds and still got big totals. Everyone wants to chip and not look at individual milestones and every batsman has to do the job. If 7-8 of us think like that we will be in a good position

IN DUBAI, the city of endless possibilities, home to expatriates, cricket teams of India and Pakistan will kick-start a new arrangement with the Champions Trophy. India will be holed up here while Pakistan play at their home.

If India hosts an ICC tournament next, India will be playing at home, while Pakistan will find itself in Dubai.

That's the end of the innings and New Zealand have got to 320 runs from their 50 overs. Tom Latham and Will Young did the platform-setting job and it was down to Glenn Phillips who blitzed with a 61 which enabled them to get to the score they did. This has been a top-class effort from New Zealand. They lost a few early wickets but they did not panic and went about their innings superbly. As per Pakistan's bowling, they did start well in the first 15 overs however, after that, they lacked the penetration to do the damage. The seamers were too predictable and the spinners were too easy to play through. These will be a huge run chase for Pakistan and a lot will depend on how much of dew will set in the second innings. 

Pakistan have been penalized for their slow over rate here. They will be having only four fielders outside the ring for the remainder of the innings. They have bowled 29 overs of pace in this innings so far which did take its toll on the rate. Apart from that Mohammad Rizwan did have quite a bit of chatter with his bowlers, especially with spinners in the middle overs which did delay the overs. Nevertheless Pakistan needs to find a way to get through their overs within time going forward as presumably this is going to be their attack hence they just cannot keep having this situation in the remaining games where they are at a disadvantage in the final overs.

Tom Latham gets to his century here. It has been top-class innings for the New Zealand middle-order player. When he came in he exactly knew what was required at that point in time and played accordingly and once the final phase of the game had begun he looked to be more proactive against the bowlers. New Zealand are looking to get now well over 310-320 runs. Those will be a lot of runs especially in high-pressure games like today. Although logically Rizwan was right about the dew it is now also important Pakistan hold their nerve in whatever runs they are going to chase. They have to be smart and take the innings as deep as possible. 

This has been another brilliant partnership for New Zealand. Glenn Phillips from the moment he has walked into the middle has got the tempo of his innings right. He has been able to find the right ball to clear the boundary and in between that, they have run very hard between the wickets. At the 16th over mark, things did not look as rosy as they are for New Zealand now. It has been some remarkably smart batting and the ability to judge what a good total on this surface. As per Pakistan after the initial three wickets, it just felt like they got a bit complacent and where hoping New Zealand would lose wickets by making errors however, that has not been the case. Whatever New Zealand gets to here it will be quite a tricky chase for Pakistan if there is to be new dew it might get very difficult as well for them. 

One trait the successful teams have in ODI cricket is a fifth bowler who is penetrative. The likes of Salman Agha and Kushdil did their job but ideally for Pakistan to be better than what they are they need to find a way to squeeze a couple of wickets in that passage of the play. The likes of Ravindra Jadeja for India or part-timers who operate in the middle overs for Australia be it Travis Head or Glenn Maxwell they do manage to pick wickets apart from the front four which does help the main attack a lot. With the fifth bowler not getting the wicket in those middle overs both Tom Latham and Will Young could build this partnership and have taken New Zealand to this position. If they were to have another bowler who could pick wickets in the middle overs this could have been a different tale altogether. 

Mohammad Rizwan still has quite a bit of spin to use here going into the final 10 overs. He does have protection with an extra fielder in this phase but it just seems like he has left an over too many for this stage of the game. With the likes of Glenn Phillips who loves to play his shots if the spinners are to miss their mark, he will deposit them in the stands. On the contrary, if Pakistan manages to pick a wicket they will be into New Zealand's lower order who will be exposed to Abrar who is a mystery spinner and might cause trouble to them. The next few overs of spin might be crucial here on how many New Zealand can end up with. 

Will Young trying to up the ante has departed here. He tried to hit one through the mid-wicket but seems to have beaten for pace and the ball went high up in the air. Faheem Ashraf at square leg ran in and took an exceptional catch. It was the right approach from the Kiwi opener with two set batters in one had to go after the bowling and Young tried to do it and lost his wicket. Glenn Phillips has walked and the stage is set for him to score a quick-fire 50-60 run innings for New Zealand to get to that 280-300 run mark. And Tom Latham who is batting at the other end now needs to take the responsibility to bat through the innings. 

It will be very interesting to see how New Zealand will approach their bowling innings. Yes, their attack has decent pace but they are not as quick as the Pakistan pacers hence they will be forced to use different weapons to pick wickets. We have seen Rizwan make his bowlers bowl more short deliveries than slower ones but New Zealand with the way that attack is composed might have to use slower balls than bumpers, but it will be fascinating to see how they will go about their wicket-tacking approach. Also, New Zealand's spinners are more of a steady kind, unlike Abrar who sort of brings a bit of mystery element with his ball. 

Will Young get to his century with a sweep against Abrar. Fabulous innings this is out of 173 runs New Zealand has made 100 have come from Will Young which shows how dominant he has been in this batting innings. He has looked rock solid and the innings were flawless and went smoothly. Pakistan threw everything they had at them but the Kiwi opener has been resilient and his pacing has been top-notch. It just might be the first game of this tournament but New Zealand seems to have already given a blueprint not only on how to bat in these conditions but also how to pace an ODI innings. The foundation is set for New Zealand and now the time just might right for either of Latham or Young to decide who is going to up the tempo and who is going to bat through in this innings. 

Pakistan pacers have not used enough slower balls on this surface. There has been an odd delivery early on however once the ball got a touch softer they have been still reliant on accuracy than to slip in a few variations of slower balls. This is where sometimes this side lacks the variety in the middle overs on different wickets. When the wicket is flat or quick their bowling the way they have will work in their favour however on a wicket like today where it is a touch two paced once the ball gets old and soft slipping slower ones would trouble the batters quite a bit. The likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Pat Cummins, and Kagiso Rabada who are bonafide modern great bowlers do have that delivery. But Pakistan bowlers apart from Shaheen Shah Afridi the other two Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf are a tad bit reluctant to use it often and are more reliant on bowling hard lengths and short lengths to trouble the batters which might just sit up nicely for batters when the wicket is old. 

We have reached the second water break of this innings and this has been New Zealand's passage. Daryl Mitchell fell immediately after the break but both Latham and Young got together and played a lovely hand. Pakistan did start well but just seemed to have lost their way in the middle overs a bit and let drift things away. While it is their strength to use pace in all phases of the game but with odd-ball turning a bit it might have been wise for Rizwan to be more attacking against Latham when he came in however, those are minor things and there are always things that could be done better in hindsight, having said that Rizwan has been quite pro-active with his captaincy thus far and credit must be given for Kiwi batters to weather the storm out early on and now putting the side in a position where they can post a decent total on the board which can trouble the Kiwis.

One thing New Zealand is excellent when comes to ODI cricket is they are masters of playing percentage cricket. They are tactically sound with the plans and approach and just have the players to execute their pre-match plans to the final dot. These middle-overs are supposed to be for the rotation of strikes and building those partnerships but due to lack of much ODI cricket off late certain teams have struggled to manage this phase. Not just England in recent times against India we have also seen the likes of Australia and South Africa try to do too much in this middle phase and lose their way but New Zealand today has been super against spin. The likes of Latham and Young have played the percentage superbly. There has not been a short in anger they punished the poor balls and rotated the strike nicely in the middle of those shots and have laid a super foundation for the hitters to come. 

The partnership between Young and Latham has got to fifty here. It has been a needed one for New Zealand. However, it is only half the job done more than the runs this has to go on for another hour or so so that hitters like Glenn Phillips Michael Bracewell have a platform to explode down the order. While Young has been sublime, Tom Latham, too, has gone about his business nicely here since coming in. He had enough breathing space to rotate the strike early on his innings and did have quite a few looseners early by spinners, which he could sweep. Mohammed Rizwan has to consider bringing Abrar back here sooner rather than later and just push for the wicket. Because both Kushdil and Salman Agha, though they have bowled well, have not looked threatening whatsoever. 

At start it felt like we might have a high-scoring game in our hand but the way innings is progressing here it seems like older and softer balls are hard to hit. So, all New Zealand might need in this game would be around 280-300. However, getting there would be not as easy as it seems because apart from Will Young all the other batters have struggled with the pace of the surface. Tom Latham has given himself a bit of time here and has got a start but he needs to convert this into a 70-80 and support Young at the other end. The new batters coming won't find it easy to start on this surface, especially against the older ball hence the batters who get themselves which is both Latham and Young right now need to bat as long as possible. 

Mohammad Rizwan has made sure here a spinner and seamer is operating from either end for the majority part of this innings which is not a bad tactic to be used when the wicket is slightly two-paced. It is a bit dry with the spinners getting a bit of grip and turns. The likes of Abrar Ahmed might be even more difficult to face once the ball gets older and softer. Shaheen Shah Afridi has been brought in for his second spell here and it will be interesting to see what he can produce with this semi-new ball. There might be a bit of reverse-swing on offer for him and also he has a good slower one which might just stick in the surface a bit. 

Will Young has got to his half-century here. He is looking in sublime touch. It is just hard to get head around how a player of his quality hasn't played more cricket yet. Every time he has stepped on to bat for New Zealand he has been able to deliver the goods and do the job but no matter how good the knocks tend to be he has been always dropped as soon as the player becomes fit. Despite coming in and out of the side he never seems like he loses any rhythm ever. Maybe with the innings he is playing here, he just might get a full tournament to show his skill sets this time. But as for today, he has to bat till around 42-43 overs and score a three-digit mark and help New Zealand get to somewhere around 300-mark. 

Daryl Mitchell has fallen to the shortball tactic here. It was a short one which Mitchell tried to hit over mid-on however, the ball hit the stickers of the bat and was caught by the fielder there. Rizwan has been chipping away with those short ones since Mitchell came in and eventually, the Kiwi batter did perish under the pressure. Tom Latham has walked into the middle and he has a lot of work to do. The good thing is middle overs facing spin is something he is equipped to do. However, Rizwan seems to have a plan for every batter individually and this is something that happens when two sides meet quite often in a small passage of time. Likewise, it will be interesting to see what plans New Zealand has to counter the Pakistan batters. 

We have reached the first water break and it has been Pakistan's passage of play. Though New Zealand did start well Mohammad Rizwan with his clever tactics and bowling changes pulled back things nicely. The likes of Abrar and Naseem after changing ends have been top-notch. As per New Zealand their premium batters both Conway and Williamson fell for a low score but Young as always has come up with the goods. Daryl Mitchell at the other end too has been squeezed and has been deprived of easy singles which again credit must be given to Rizwan and his field sets. The game is at the balance now the next 10-12 overs might decide where this innings will get to. 

Haris Rauf has come into the attack for Pakistan. A lot will depend on how he will bowl in this tournament. Whenever Pakistan has had good tournaments in recent times it has been when the likes of Shaheen and Haris Rauf have had good tournaments. Sometimes both those ace seamers do take a bit of time to get into the groove in the tournaments but when they start clicking together the attack looks a lot better. The other issue for The Men in Green has been the spin, Pakistan has struggled in previous ICC tournaments with the lack of wicket-tacker in the middle overs but in this tournament, they have the services of Abrar who is a bonafide red-ball bowler and has the ability to pick wickets when batters are looking to rotate and not just try to be aggressive. 

Since Naseem Shah has changed ends he is looking like a different bowler altogether. Mohammad Rizwan has brought in a short-leg and is asking Naseem to bend his back a bit and it is putting Mitchell in a bit of discomfort at the moment. The pitch is responding to the short ones here there seems to be something in it. Also, Naseem has been absolutely perfect with his line of those bouncers. One hour into this game it has been quite proactive captaincy from Mohammad Rizwan. He brought in the spinner early on and now he has resorted to bumper tactics against the new batter and unsettling him. Despite the flatness in the wicket it just has been Rizwan's captaincy that has created the opportunities. 

Naseem Shah picks another one this has been a good 15 minutes or so for Pakistan here. It is Kane Williamson who got all squared up by a peach of delivery from Naseem Shah. The ball pitched in and seemed like it was coming back into him however, it just moved slightly away at the last moment taking a feather of an edge from Williamson's bat. That is a big wicket for Pakistan. Daryl Mitchell has walked into the middle and he needs to build a partnership with Will Young here if New Zealand are to post a total that will trouble Pakistan later on. However, Mitchell unlike other batters in this unit tries to be more proactive with his feet moment early on in his innings and will force the issue once he gets his eye in he tends to play more orthodox cricket.

Pakistan has turned to spin early on in this inning here. Abrar Ahmed has taken the ball it is quite a sharp move from Rizwan to bring in spin early on in the innings as seamers were not getting much from the surface. While it is dry closer to the batters, there is a bit of grass in the middle of the pitch, which might just let the ball skid onto the batters. And that is what the Kiwi batters have to be wary of primarily. It is not going to be turn that is going to trouble them but the balls which do skid on sharply with this new one. As we update Devon Conway gets bowled. It is a cracking delivery from Abrar. It was a carrom ball that pitched and just skidded onto and Conway on his backfoot trying to push the ball missed it completely playing for angle.

Will Young has played some lovely shots here. He seems to be in a good rhythm out in the middle. His driving has been top-notch and has looked brilliant with his running between the wickets as well. He always steps up Young when New Zealand needs him. He might not play another game in the tournament if Rachin were to come back however, whenever given the opportunity he is prepared and organized with his game plans and seems to have the technique for all kinds off pitches. Meanwhile Devon Conway at the other end has been more than happy to let Young do the scoring. With Conway, it has been his troubles against the ball which jags back in from the seamers and to be fair Pakistan did try to do it but there just was no moment early on.

This has been a very New Zealand kind of start to the Champions Trophy here. Quite subdued but things are in motion. Three overs in New Zealand are going at run-a-ball there has been nothing extravagant soft-hand cricket hard running waiting for the poor ones to send them for boundaries. The Pakistan seamers are trying however, there is absolutely nothing on this wicket. We have seen the effectiveness of slower ones on wickets like these and Shaheen and Naseem might soon resort to those deliveries. It is going to be a long afternoon for Pakistan here and must be said that there will be dew in the second innings but in the opening game of big event if New Zealand manages to get a score of substance it will be a massive chase with the pressure of occasion added.

We are done with the opening over. Shaheen Shah Afridi has taken the new ball and there is not much of a swing or seam moment on offer. The ball has been going in straight lines and will continue to do so seems like. It is quite hot here in the middle and it is a brave call by Mohammad Rizwan to bowl first as it can be quite a high-scoring affair today. From New Zealand's perspective they do not have the services of Rachin Ravindra who can play a few attacking shots early on in his innings and push the opposition back and either Conway or Will Young here in the middle have to take up that responsibility. 

The national anthems are done the fighter jets have sprayed green and white in the air. Both Devon Conway and Will Young are walking into the middle and so are the Pakistan players. An ICC event in Pakistan after 25 years. So many things to explore and unfold apart from just cricket. Stay with us and enjoy all the live updates from this cracking game. 

On playing India: all departments have to perform well. The way we played last fee years in this format, we have a good team. Conditions are familiar and we Hope we can do well.

If we look at all 8 teams, we have a good performances against our opponents. If we can execute our plans we can do well

The all a rounders in our team are very crucial to us. They provide us good balance. If you look at this format we have a good balance. We are not looking at the opponents. We are focusing on ourselves.

we have struggled in the past when it comes to fast bowling. But we have a good attack now and as a captain it makes me excited to see our bowlers bowl fast. They are in good form…. Hopefully they will be able to put Indians under pressure.

Batsmen are coming into the format with runs behind them. India have a good team even without Bumrah. But we want to look at ourselves.

In Dubai we have to adjust to the conditions here.. it doesn’t seem like high scoring pitch. When we go to Pakistan we have to adjust because we will see big scores. We have to adjust to both.

Rana played one Test against India and he has the experience. He is not someone who looks at the opponent, but is more focused on execution. He is looking forward to the game.

I’m not depending on fast bowlers alone. We have good spinners and I won’t be surprised if India plays three spinners. Compared to the past we are more balanced and it is not just about our spinners. 

Reports Venkata Krishna B from Dubai

The off side is 62m for the right hander and the leg side is 67m. The boundary down the ground is longer. The surface is very dry with a lot of cracks. Looks like a good wicket, we have seen mixed results here in terms of run chases. An ideal target has to be around that 300 mark. Spinners will be in the game with the cracks and dry patches in the good length area. Will be important to see how the batters defend the smaller side of the ground.

“There is no pressure of anything. What has happened in the past is beyond us. We have discussed mistakes we have made and we have worked on them,” Babar was quoted as saying by the ICC website. “When you have responsibility as a senior player in any team and the team relies on you and has belief in you, then I take it in a positive way.”

“When you play at home you get that edge as you know the conditions,” he said. “You have a knowledge of how the pitch will behave, both in the first and second (innings), but still you have to play good cricket because all other teams are among the best. It means a lot to be hosting the competition.”

Devon Conway, Will Young, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham(w), Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner(c), Nathan Smith, Matt Henry, William ORourke

Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan(w/c), Salman Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Khushdil Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed

The dew gets on later, but we have a job to do with the bat. Looks like a good wicket. We have a good mix of experience and new faces, and are playing some good cricket as well. We have been lucky to play these guys home and away, so we know each other well. What's most important is getting used to the conditions here in Karachi. The injuries we've had are unfortunate, but are confident with the boys that we have out here. Matt Henry comes back in for us.

We will bowl first. Seen the last couple of matches dew comes in later, so want to maximise on that. We are the defending champions so will be in a bit more pressure, but we will treat it like the previous tri-series. Playing in Pakistan will be great as well. Haris Rauf is fit again so he's back in.