The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 commences today, February 19, 2025, with the opening match between Pakistan and New Zealand in Karachi.
Sports News: The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 begins today, February 19th, at the National Stadium in Karachi, with the inaugural match between hosts Pakistan and New Zealand. The toss will be at 2:00 PM IST, and the match will commence at 2:30 PM IST. This prestigious tournament, popularly known as the mini World Cup, returns after an eight-year hiatus. The ICC launched this tournament in 1998, and the last edition was held in 2017, where Pakistan emerged victorious.
Pakistan hosts this year's tournament, with the opening encounter pitting the hosts against New Zealand at Karachi's National Stadium. The toss will be at 2:00 PM IST, and the match will start at 2:30 PM IST. Recently, a tri-series featuring Pakistan, South Africa, and New Zealand was held in Pakistan. New Zealand displayed a stellar performance, defeating Pakistan in the final to claim the title.
Pitch Report
The National Stadium in Karachi is generally considered a batting-friendly pitch, suggesting a high-scoring encounter. At this very ground, Pakistan successfully chased down a target of 353 runs against South Africa, indicating a potential advantage for the chasing team.
Therefore, the team winning the toss will likely opt to bowl first to enhance their chances of winning while chasing. According to our match prediction meter, this match promises to be a close contest, with a slight edge potentially going to the chasing team. The match balance appears to be 60-40 in favor of Pakistan, owing to the home advantage.
Pakistan and New Zealand's Probable Playing XI
Pakistan Team - Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (Captain & Wicketkeeper), Salman Ali Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Khushdil Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmed, and Haris Rauf.
New Zealand Team - Rachin Ravindra, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (Wicketkeeper), Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (Captain), Matt Henry, Jacob Duffy, and Will Young.
