Karachi, Feb 18 (IANS) The ninth edition of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 commences on Wednesday with the winners of the 2017 edition, Pakistan, taking on New Zealand in the opening match of the tournament at the National Stadium in Karachi.
Pakistan enter the tournament as the defending champions, having beaten India in the final of the 2017 edition, led by Sarfaraz Ahmed. Fakhar Zaman was the Player of the Final for his imperious 114 off 106 deliveries, while Hasan Ali was named the Player of the Tournament for his tally of 13 wickets in five games.
However, Pakistan will not be getting overconfident in the build-up to the first ICC tournament taking place in the country since 1996 as they suffered two consecutive losses against New Zealand in the Tri-nation ODI Series in Pakistan in the build-up to the tournament.
New Zealand, placed in Group A along with India, Bangladesh, and host Pakistan, will look to clinch their second Champions Trophy title after 2000. However, in the recent ICC tournaments, the team has established themselves as a force to reckon with in the title battle.
Pakistan captain, Mohammad Rizwan said, “A global event has come to Pakistan after 29 years, so I believe the entire nation is celebrating this historic occasion. There are no doubts about our performance, we have worked hard and learned from our mistakes. We hope that we play well tomorrow Insha’Allah.
“Our sole focus is on winning the tournament for the country and our people and we hope that we achieve the desired results,” he said.
Squads:
Pakistan: Mohammad Rizwan (captain & wicket-keeper), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Kamran Ghulam, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Salman Ali Agha (vice-captain), Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan.
New Zealand: Mitchell Santner (captain), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham (wicket-keeper), Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Nathan Smith, Kane Williamson, Will Young.
Time: Pakistan vs New Zealand is scheduled to begin at 2:30 PM IST.
Broadcasting details: Pakistan vs New Zealand will be broadcast on Star Sports Network.
Live Streaming: Pakistan vs New Zealand will be live-streamed on Jio Hotstar.
–IANS
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