The Champions Trophy will make a triumphant return to the cricket calendars today after more than seven years, starting with hosts Pakistan taking on New Zealand at the revamped Karachi Stadium.
Cricket has seen a shift recently, with One Day Internationals (ODIs) vying for attention while the T20 format has captured the spotlight for its exciting, fast-paced games.
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With the Champions Trophy back, fans are likely to rekindle their passion for ODIs. Since Sarfaraz Ahmed led Pakistan to victory in 2017 against their arch-rival India with a commanding 180-run win in the final, many developments have unfolded.
It is also a monumental moment and achievement for Pakistan as a country and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in itself. Not long ago, the country was struggling to get teams to set foot on their soil. Pakistan’s “home” matches would take place in the UAE due to safety concerns. Ever since the 2009 attack on the Sri Lankan team bus, tours to the region dwindled with Zimbabwe the first team to make a visit in 2015. Then a World XI played a T20I series in 2017 with subsequent tours now by Sri Lanka, West Indies, Bangladesh, England, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
With the Champions Trophy, Pakistan will host their first major ICC tournament in 29 years with last being the 1996 ODI World Cup.
Pakistan vs New Zealand to get the ball rolling
In the opening match, Pakistan will face New Zealand, a team that has had the upper hand over the defending champions lately. The Blackcaps are well-acquainted with the conditions, having played more ODIs in Pakistan (11) than any other team since 2019.
Given their recent victory over Pakistan in the ODI tri-nations final just five days ago in Karachi, New Zealand will be confident going into this clash.
In their encounters during the 2019 and 2023 ICC ODI World Cups, Pakistan managed to secure victories, showcasing their resilience and ability to rise to the occasion.
STATS
Looking at both sides’ head-to-head record in the Champions Trophy, both teams squared off against each other in 2000, 2006, and 2009, with the Kiwis emerging victorious on all three occasions.
Overall, in the ODIs, Pakistan and New Zealand have been neck-to-neck in their past 11 matches. The Kiwis have won five and lost six; however, in their past four meetings, New Zealand have won thrice.
WHO IS SAYING WHAT
Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan: “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.
New Zealand captain Tom Latham: “I’m sure, the opening game of the Champions Trophy is really special, and to be playing against the host nation is going to be a great occasion. I guess if you look throughout the tri-series and the warm-up game, we’ve been fortunate enough that everyone throughout the squad has had some time in the middle, whether it be with the ball or with the bat.”
“It’s nice that we’ve been playing well, I think throughout the tri-series we were put under pressure in all three games and we obviously managed to overcome that and come out on the right side.”
IS RACHIN RAVINDRA FIT?
Latham gave a semi-update on Rachin Ravindra, the all-rounder who suffered a nasty head injury after struggling to pick up the ball under the lights on February 8.
“He will train tonight so then we will get a bit more of an indication of how he’s going. So, his recovery is obviously going well, but just need to make sure. It’s obviously a pretty nasty injury. So especially, when you’re involved with the head, you want to make sure things are right. So, yeah, just going through the protocols that he needs to go through and we’ll wait and see.”
HOW ABOUT HARIS RAUF?
Coming into the tournament, there was major concern in the hosts’ camp with Haris Rauf picking up an injury in the tri-series. He got injured in the first game and didn’t play a part since.
Rizwan gave him a vote of confidence. “Yesterday he (Rauf) bowled about 6 to 8 overs approximately, before that he bowled about 60%, and today he is bowling with full rhythm today. He has put in a lot of effort in the gym and here as well. He is saying that he doesn’t have any problem. So, I hope he is fully fit.”
PAKISTAN vs NEW ZEALAND LIVE STREAMING
Pakistan vs New Zealand is scheduled to begin at 2:30 PM IST. It will be broadcast on JioStar – Star Sports and Sports18 channels. It will be live streamed on JioHotstar.
