Follow UsThe wait is finally over. The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is set to get underway on February 19 (Wednesday), with hosts Pakistan taking on New Zealand in the tournament opener at the National Stadium in Karachi. The two teams were recently involved in the final of a tri-series, also involving South Africa, with New Zealand getting the better of Pakistan at the same venue, and that will give them a lot of confidence going into this encounter.
Since the 2023 ODI World Cup, where they lost to India in the semis, New Zealand have played 12 ODIs and won seven of those games. Meanwhile, Pakistan have won eight of their 12 ODIs since the last World Cup, where they failed to qualify for the knockouts.
Apart from Pakistan and New Zealand, India and Bangladesh are also part of Group A. The eight-team event will be played across two countries - Pakistan and the UAE - with the ICC opting to implement a hybrid model. India will be playing all their matches in Dubai - even the semis and the final, should they go that far.
Mohammad Rizwan (capt), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi
Mitchell Santner (capt), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Nathan Smith, Kane Williamson, Will Young
Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Rizwan (c & wk), Khushdil Shah/Saud Shakeel, Salman Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed
Will Young/Rachin Ravindra, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (wk), Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (capt), Jacob Duffy, Matt Henry, William O’Rourke
In India - Pakistan vs New Zealand will be telecasted live on Star Sports Network, and it will also be streamed live on JioHotstar.
In Pakistan - Pakistan vs New Zealand will be telecasted live on PTV Sports, and it will also be streamed live on Myco.
In New Zealand - Pakistan vs New Zealand will be telecasted live on Sky Sport (1 and 3), and it will also be streamed live on Sky Sport Now and Sky Go.
The Pakistan vs New Zealand game will start at 2:30 PM (IST) in India.
In Pakistan, the game will commence at 2:00 PM, and at 10 PM in New Zealand.
You can buy the tickets for Pakistan vs New Zealand match in Karachi here: https://pcb.tcs.com.pk/ICCTICKETS
Safe options: Mohammad Rizwan (PAK), Naseem Shah (PAK), Kane Williamson (NZ), Daryl Mitchell (NZ)
Risky options: Haris Rauf (PAK), Fakhar Zaman (PAK), William O’Rourke (NZ), Glenn Phillips (NZ)
Two matches were played at the National Stadium in Karachi during the tri-series. In the very first game, Pakistan chased down a total of 352 against South Africa, and that should be enough to tell you what to expect from the Karachi surface. Then in the final of the tri-series, Pakistan were bowled out for 242 and the Black Caps hunted it down without much fuss.
The fast bowlers picked up more wickets but were also much more expensive than the spinners. The former operated at an average of 41.9 and an economy of 6.8 in those two games, compared to 70.3 and 5.1 respectively from spinners.
There will be no rain in Karachi on February 19 (Wednesday), and the temperature is expected to be around 24-28 degrees Celsius during match hours.