New Zealand went past Pakistan by 60 runs in the opening match of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. The hosts were behind in all the departments of the game. From wayward bowling to dropped catches, the Men in Green played the catching-up game. In the batting department, the Kiwi spinners dried up the runs, and despite some hitting by the middle and lower-order batters, Pakistan couldn’t cross the line.
Pakistan played just one specialist spinner in the game, while New Zealand used three spinners. The Kiwi spinners bowled 29 overs, and former India player Virender Sehwag highlighted the same.
NZ captain Mitchell Santner bowled 10 overs and picked up three wickets while conceding 66 runs. Michael Bracewell gave away 38 runs from his 10 overs and also claimed a wicket. Part-time tweaker Glenn Phillips was given nine overs, and he was taken for 63 runs.
On the other hand, Abrar Ahmed delivered 10 overs, conceding 47 runs and dismissing one batter. Khusdil Shah (7 overs) and Salman Ali Agha (3 overs) were used by Pakistan skipper Mohammad Rizwan.
Sehwag felt Santner was smarter in using the spinners than Rizwan. “New Zealand used spinners well against a team that plays spin well. 29 overs of spin bowling by New Zealand led to Pakistan’s defeat. Their batters couldn’t hit the slow bowlers consistently,” he said on Cricbuzz.
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