Pakistan’s start in the Champions Trophy 2025 was not at all worth remembering. Their famed bowling line-up came under pressure. Fluent hundreds by opener Will Young and skipper Tom Latham powered New Zealand to a competitive 320 for five against hosts and defending champions Pakistan in the Champions Trophy opener on Wednesday. Young compiled an important innings of 107 off 113 balls, while Latham remained unbeaten on 118. Glenn Phillips then blazed away to a 39-ball 61 to prop up the Kiwi innings at the National Stadium. Young struck 12 fours and one six, while Latham batted through the innings to strike 10 boundaries and three maximums. Young played anchor after Pakistan elected to field first and had New Zealand reeling at 40 for two and then 73 for three in the 17th over.

Young fast bowler Naseem Shah got the prized wicket of Kane Williamson who was caught behind for a single digit score for the first time in his last 35 ODI outings.

Making a comeback to the team after an injury that had kept him out of the recently-held tri-series, Haris Rauf had Daryl Mitchell mistiming a pull shot to leave the visitors in trouble.

Opener Devon Conway was the first wicket to fall on a pitch which clearly has some grip in it for the spinners, as Abrar Ahmed, brought in the eighth over, used a carom ball to beat the southpaw.

With three wickets gone with not many runs on the board, Young, who is playing only because of an injury to Rachin Ravindra, steadied the ship in partnership with Latham as they put on 118 runs for the fourth wicket.

Pakistan, depending on one specialist spinner, three pace bowlers, and two part-time spinners in Khushdil Shah and Salman Agha, just didn’t have the penetration to break the partnership.

After Young fell while looking to open up after sweeping his way to his fourth one-day hundred, Latham and Phillips went after the Pakistan bowling in the final 10 overs.

Latham, who scored his eighth ODI hundred, and Phillips walloped Abrar and Haris for 32 runs in the 44th and 45th overs. In the 47th over, Shaheen Shah Afridi was smashed for 18 runs. Mohammad Rizwan could be seen comforting Abrar after he was hit for 16 in one over by Tom Latham. 

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Phillips, who fell in the final over to Haris while trying a reverse scoop shot, did the maximum damage with four sixes and three fours.

Rauf was the most expensive bowler, conceding 83 runs in his 10 overs for two wickets.

Earlier, President Asif Zardari opened the tournament and was introduced to both teams by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi and ICC officials.

The crowd turnout at the start of the match was not as high as anticipated but as the weather improved, the stadium was getting packed with spectators eager to watch a major ICC event in the country for the first time since 1996.

With PTI inputs 

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Pakistan are all set to face Bangladesh in the upcoming two-match Test series, with the first match being played from Wednesday in Rawalpindi. The two Tests against Bangladesh will mark the first assignment of Jason Gillespie as Pakistan’s Test coach. On Monday, Pakistan announced their Playing XI for the first Test and they have benched their only spinner Abrar Ahmed from the team. Former Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal slammed the Pakistan management for going ahead without any spinner.

Apart from Abrar, batter Kamran Ghulam has also been benched as the selectors have named them in the Pakistan Shaheens’ squad, which will be squaring off against Bangladesh A on August 30.

The absence of Abrar means that Pakistan will be going ahead with a complete pace attack in the first Test. The only spin options left for Pakistan in their XI are all-rounder Salman Ali Agha and Saud Shakeel.

Akmal criticised the selectors for not including a spinner. He even gave the example of India, stating that they will never going ahead in a Test match without Ravindra Jadeja or Ravichandran Ashwin.

“With Jason Gillespie (Pakistan’s Test head coach), we are talking about the Australian mindset. But can Australia play without Nathan Lyon? Will India play without Ashwin or Ravindra Jadeja? No, they won’t. You have Abrar, but you have shut down his confidence so much,” Akmal told Cricket Pakistan.

“Due to personal likes and dislikes, that boy (Abrar) has been ruined. His fitness and off-the-field issues were highlighted, and because of that, you’ve spoiled that boy and harmed Pakistan,” he added.

Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Khurram Shahzad and Mohammad Ali are the top four pacers for Pakistan who will play against Bangladesh in the first Test match. Meanwhile, Saud Shakeel and Salman Ali Agha will be the hosts’ spin bowlers.

Abdullah Shafique and Saim Ayub will open for Pakistan, while captain Shan Masood and Babar Azam will be in action in the middle order.

(With ANI Inputs)

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has released spinner Abrar Ahmed and top-order batter Kamran Ghulam from the Pakistan squad for the first Test and he will now represent Pakistan Shaheens in the second four-day match against Bangladesh ‘A’, which will start at the Islamabad Club on Tuesday, 20 August. Ghulam has been appointed as Pakistan Shaheens captain for the second four-day match.

“The decision has been made after the selectors have opted to go with an all-pace attack in the first ICC World Test Championship match against Bangladesh at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on August 21. Instead of benching him for the Test, the selectors named him in the Shaheens squad so that he can gain some match practice ahead of the second Test, which will start in Karachi on August 30,” the PCB said in a release.

This means the Pakistan Test has been trimmed to 15 players, but will be back to its original 17-player strength after the conclusion of the second four-day match when Abrar and Kamran will rejoin the side for the Karachi visit.

Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Saud Shakeel, who were part of the Pakistan Shaheen side, have now joined the Test side while Mohammad Rameez Jnr has been left out for the second four-day match. These eight players have been replaced in the Shaheens side by Abrar Ahmed, Ali Zaryab Asif, Awais Anwar, Imam Ul Haq, Niaz Khan, Qasim Akram, Rohail Nazir and Sharoon Siraj.

Pakistan Shaheens squad (for second four-day): Kamran Ghulam (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Ali Zaryab, Ghulam Mudassar, Imam-ul-Haq, Mehran Mumtaz, Mohammad Awais Anwar, Niaz Khan, Qasim Akram, Rohail Nazir (wicket-keeper), Saad Baig (wicket-keeper), Saad Khan, Sharoon Siraj and Umar Amin.