Pakistan opt to bowl against New Zealand in Champions Trophy opener

Defending champions Pakistan won the toss and elected to bowl against New Zealand in the Champions Trophy opener in Karachi on Wednesday.

The eight-nation ICC showpiece marks the first major global tournament hosted by Pakistan in nearly 30 years.

New Zealand have faced Pakistan 11 times in ODIs since the start of 2023, and the results have been neck and neck.

While New Zealand have won five and lost six, they have won three of the last four meetings. These two teams have met three times in the Champions Trophy— in 2000, 2006 and 2009— with New Zealand winning all three times.

Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman and Faheem Ashraf are the only members of Pakistan's squad who were also part of their victorious 2017 campaign.

Dew factor

The shine is bright in Karachi, and there is no possibility of dew affecting the team chasing the target. The pitch suggests that the match could be a high-scoring one, and experts are predicting a high-scoring match between New Zealand and Pakistan.

Meanwhile, wicket is hard, and the presence of grass will help batters to enjoy the pitch. Disciplined bowling and batters staying long at crease will be the key for the winning side.

Changes

Haris Rauf replaces Faheem Ashraf in Pakistan playing XI; Mast Henry comes for Jacob Duffy in New Zealand squad

Teams

Pakistan: Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (c/wk), Salman Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Khushdil Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf and Abrar Ahmed

New Zealand: Devon Conway, Will Young, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (wk), Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (c), Nathan Smith, Matt Henry and William O'Rourke