Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan expressed disappointment over his team’s unexpected loss to New Zealand in the Champions Trophy opener in Karachi. Despite a strong start with early wickets, Pakistan struggled to contain New Zealand’s middle-order resurgence, ultimately conceding 320 runs—far beyond their initial expectations of 260.
Rizwan acknowledged that the turning point was the 118-run stand between Tom Latham (118*) and Will Young (107), which shifted momentum in New Zealand’s favor. After an early collapse at 73/3, New Zealand rebuilt their innings methodically before Glenn Phillips’ explosive 61 off 39 balls in the death overs propelled them to a commanding total.
Pakistan’s bowling attack, which had initially dominated, faltered in the final 10 overs. Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, and Naseem Shah struggled to execute their plans under pressure, allowing New Zealand to score 113 runs in the last phase. Rizwan admitted that poor execution at the death cost them the match.
Adding to Pakistan’s woes, opener Fakhar Zaman suffered a lower back strain just two balls into the match while fielding. Though he returned to bat, his injury limited his mobility, and he could only manage 24 runs off 41 balls, impacting Pakistan’s chase.
With Pakistan facing India in a crucial encounter on Sunday, Rizwan downplayed the high stakes, insisting his team would treat it like any other match. Despite this stance, Pakistan must win to keep their title defense alive.
