ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Pakistan vs New Zealand – start, teams, preview

Who: Pakistan vs New Zealand
What: ICC Champions Trophy 2025
Where: National Stadium, Karachi, Pakistan
When: Wednesday, February 19 at 2pm (09:00 GMT)

Host nation Pakistan and New Zealand open the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy at the National Stadium in Karachi on Wednesday with both sides looking to lay down an earlier marker for the cricket tournament.

Pakistan are second favourites, behind India, to win the tournament but lost their last warm-up match against New Zealand on Friday to increase the spotlight on this match.

The 2023 Cricket World Cup winners, Australia, are also a team to beat, but Al Jazeera takes a close look at the curtain-raiser in Karachi between two sides who hope to be lifting the trophy on March 9.

Why are defending champions Pakistan not the favourites?

Pakistan lifted the last edition of the Champions Trophy by beating India in the final in 2017, but the defeated finalists are the favourites for the tournament based on their consistency since then.

Pakistan have key match-winning players in the form of Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi, both former captains, but the nation’s ability to implode at any stage in any match and any series has led to a reputation that precedes them.

The off-field turbulence does not help, either. Gary Kirsten was appointed as white-ball coach last year but soon quit and was replaced by Test-match coach Jason Gillespie. The former Australian bowler soon followed his South African predecessor out the door, having both appeared to be popular figures with the players.

What are New Zealand’s chances at the Champions Trophy?

New Zealand, who lifted the Champions Trophy in 2000, were defeated finalists in the 2019 Cricket World Cup final and can never be written off at major tournaments. Although not boasting the populace of any of the other major teams at the tournament and beyond, the Kiwis relentlessly churn out talent that impresses on the global stage and in domestic competitions around the world.

The Kiwis are currently ranked fourth in the world, so must be considered serious contenders. But topping the two favourites, as well as World Cup-holders Australia, and vanquishing their 2019 conquerors, England, will be a tall order.

When was the last time Pakistan hosted a major tournament?

International cricket in Pakistan has been heavily restricted in recent years following the attack by gunmen on the Sri Lankan cricket team’s bus in Lahore in 2009,  which wounded six players.

What has Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan said?

“Pakistan has suffered enough and for a long time, but we have also won during this phase like the 2017 Champions Trophy and the 2009 Twenty20 World Cup,” Rizwan told a news conference on Tuesday.

“A global event has come to Pakistan after 29 years, so I think the whole nation should enjoy this historic occasion.

“There shouldn’t be any doubts on our performance. We may not have played on our abilities [in the warm-up games], but we all want to win the event for the country and people.”

What did the New Zealand camp say?

New Zealand senior batter Tom Latham said he hoped the tri-series experience would help his team. “We’re lucky we’ve been over here for a couple of weeks and played in Pakistan quite a bit over the last three years,” Latham told reporters.

“But it will be a new match [tomorrow] and a new pitch so we have to adjust quickly.”

Form guide – Pakistan

Despite their defeat by New Zealand on the eve of the tournament, Pakistan bring surprisingly good form to the tournament. The men in green have won their last three bilateral ODI series on the road, which includes a 2-1 triumph over world champions Australia and a 3-0 trouncing of a formidable South Africa side.