Champions Trophy: Pakistan Elects to Bowl First Against New Zealand in Opener
Defending champions Pakistan won the toss and chose to bowl first against New Zealand in the opening match of the Champions Trophy at National Bank Stadium.
Karachi: Defending champions Pakistan won the toss and chose to bowl first against New Zealand in the opening match of the Champions Trophy at National Bank Stadium.
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Changes to Playing XIs
Pakistan has made one change to their playing XI from the tri-series final loss to New Zealand. Haris Rauf comes in for Faheem Ashraf. For New Zealand, Matt Henry replaces Jacob Duffy in the attack.
Pakistan’s Title Defense
Pakistan enters the tournament as the defending champions, having claimed the title in 2017 by defeating India in the final. The team is led by Mohammad Rizwan in this edition, aiming to secure another Champions Trophy victory.
New Zealand’s Title Aspirations
New Zealand, placed in Group A alongside India, Bangladesh, and host Pakistan, will be looking to clinch their second Champions Trophy title, with their first coming in 2000.
Captains’ Comments
Pakistan’s captain, Mohammad Rizwan, said, “We will bowl first. Seen the last couple of matches, dew comes in later, so we want to maximize on that. We are the defending champions, so we will be under a bit more pressure, but we will treat it like the previous tri-series. Playing in Pakistan will be great as well. Haris Rauf is fit again, so he’s back in.”
New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner added, “The dew gets on later, but we have a job to do with the bat. Looks like a good wicket. We have a good mix of experience and new faces, and are playing some good cricket as well.
We have been lucky to play these guys home and away, so we know each other well. What’s most important is getting used to the conditions here in Karachi. The injuries we’ve had are unfortunate, but we are confident with the boys that we have out here. Matt Henry comes back in for us.”
Playing XIs
Pakistan (Playing XI): Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (w/c), Salman Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Khushdil Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed
New Zealand (Playing XI): Devon Conway, Will Young, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (w), Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (c), Nathan Smith, Matt Henry, William O’Rourke
