ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Kicks Off with Pakistan vs. New Zealand at Karachi's National Stadium

Karachi: The ninth edition of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 commences on Wednesday with the winners of the 2017 edition, Pakistan, taking on New Zealand in the opening match of the tournament at the National Stadium in Karachi.

Pakistan enter the tournament as the defending champions, having beaten India in the final of the 2017 edition, led by Sarfaraz Ahmed. Fakhar Zaman was the Player of the Final for his imperious 114 off 106 deliveries, while Hasan Ali was named the Player of the Tournament for his tally of 13 wickets in five games.

However, Pakistan will not be getting overconfident in the build-up to the first ICC tournament taking place in the country since 1996 as they suffered two consecutive losses against New Zealand in the Tri-nation ODI Series in Pakistan in the build-up to the tournament.

New Zealand, placed in Group A along with India, Bangladesh, and host Pakistan, will look to clinch their second Champions Trophy title after 2000. However, in the recent ICC tournaments, the team has established themselves as a force to reckon with in the title battle.

Pakistan captain, Mohammad Rizwan said, “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. (IANS)

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