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PAK vs NZ Highlights: Young, Latham Prove Fatal As New Zealand Crush Pakistan

Arnav Chopra

Tom Latham and Will Young (Source: AP Photos)Tom Latham and Will Young (Source: AP Photos)

The New Zealand side, led by Mitchell Santner, opened their account handsomely in the inaugural match of the Champions Trophy 2025 at the National Stadium in Karachi against the Pakistan side as they ended up winning this high-profile contest by a decent margin of 60 runs. New Zealand, batting first, posted 320 on the board courtesy of Will Young and Tom Latham’s superlative efforts, while Pakistan could only get as far as 260, where New Zealand’s bowlers dominated.

Here's how PAK vs NZ panned out in Karachi:

Conway, Williamson Fails But Young-Latham Duo Provides Stability

The Pakistan side, led by Mohammad Rizwan, won the toss and put the visitors, New Zealand, into bat. With opening duo Will Young and Devon Conway making their way to the crease, Conway departed early for 10 as Abrar Ahmed knocked his stumps over. 

However, misery didn’t end there for the BlackCaps, who lost their legendary batter Kane Williamson for just 1 as Naseem Shah found his edge, which was caught by skipper Rizwan. In deep trouble with two down for 40, Daryl Mitchell tried to be positive but couldn’t hold his fort as he too had to walk back for just 10.

Meanwhile, on the other hand was Will Young, who looked positive and confident with his stroke play on a wicket that was proving a bit difficult for the batters early on. Right-hander Young got to his 50 off 56 deliveries while New Zealand achieved the hundred-run mark in 22.3 overs.

Joining Young was experienced wicketkeeper Tom Latham, who supported him with full compatibility. The duo formed a 50-run partnership for the fourth wicket in 64 deliveries. Adding to this, they were able to take their side to 150 by 30.3 overs.

Young And Latham's Fighting Centuries Push New Zealand's Score To 320

This was the time when Pakistan bowlers started to struggle as the Kiwi batters were finding their groove. Both Young and Latham made full use of the opportunity as they cashed in at the right time to smack their respective centuries in a record partnership of 118 runs for the fourth wicket. 

Young departed on the score of 107 with New Zealand having 191 on the board, and he was replaced by Glenn Phillips, who proved to be another concern for the hosts, Pakistan.

Despite Young’s departure, Tom Latham was looking aggressive and confident as he went on to smash his century off 95 deliveries, while Phillips on the other side delivered. He smacked 61 from 39 balls with three fours and four sixes. 

In the end, they were able to achieve a 125-run stand for the fifth wicket as Latham remained unbeaten on 118 while Phillips lost his wicket for 61 in the final over. This extraordinary effort took New Zealand to 320 for 5 by the end of their full quota of their 50 overs.

The bowlers proved a bit expensive, with almost everyone going above an economy of six. Haris Rauf went for 83 runs in his 10 overs while bagging two wickets. Whereas Naseem Shah also got two wickets in his 10-over spell for 63 runs.

Pakistan Lose The Plot Early Against O' Rourke While Babar, Salman Resist

Pakistan’s innings started with a turmoil as they lost Saud Shakeel early, who came in to open the innings after Fakhar Zaman’s injury. Chasing a mammoth target of 321, Pakistan were two down all of sudden for 22 as Mohammad Rizwan was caught by Glenn Phillips with a blinder at point. Pakistan then looked timid with their approach as by the end of their 10 overs, they just had 22 runs on the board for the loss of two wickets.

Scoring runs became an extremely difficult task. William O'Rourke was the chief destroyer in the powerplay with two wickets under his belt. However, despite much pressure in came former skipper Babar Azam, joined by injured Fakhar Zaman (24), who somehow managed to walk out to bat for his side in deep trouble.

Babar Azam gave his best, batting 90 deliveries for his 64 runs while his partner Salman Agha was aggressive with a 28-ball 42-run knock. Despite these two efforts, Pakistan were reduced to 153 runs in 34 overs with both Azam and Agha.

Khushdil's Effort Ends In Waste As NZ Registers Thumping Victory

With just four wickets remaining, Khushdil Shah played a valiant 69-run knock from his 49 deliveries to help his side, as they were able to get past the 200-run mark. But, as fate would have had it, Khushdil too was dismissed by O'Rourke in the 44th over with the score being 229, as eight wickets were down.

With not much left for Pakistan, Haris Rauf smacked triple blows in the final overs to score 19 of 10 deliveries, as they remained massively short of the target, getting bowled out for just 260 in 47.2 overs. William O'Rourke was the star of the show with three wickets for 47 runs, while skipper Mitchell Santner was not far behind with three wickets as well for 66 runs in his 10 overs.

New Zealand, in the end, won the game by 60 runs, as Pakistan couldn't save themselves from facing a defeat in the opening game of the Champions Trophy 2025.