Bangladesh vs India, 2nd Match, Group A
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Teams:
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 ORourke
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
Where: Dubai International Cricket Stadium
What to expect: Again, some clouds expected to roll over on match day but the possibility of rain is fairly low. As ever, teams will prefer to chase.
Team News:
India
Rohit Sharma is likely to field three left arm spinners and despite a promising outing against England for Harshit Rana, veteran Mohammed Shami is likely to get the nod to start and build his rhythm right for the tournament.
Probable XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh
Bangladesh
Should conditions favour fast bowling, Bangladesh will not be caught out cold given they're experiencing a sudden and welcome spurt in fast bowling options. Tearaway quick Nahid Rana will in the spotlight against the famed Indian top-order.
Probable XI: Tanzid Hasan, Soumya Sarkar, Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah, Jaker Ali / Towhid Hridoy, Nasum Ahmed, Taskin Ahmed, Nahid Rana, Tanzim Sakib/ Mustafizur Rahman
Pitch Report | Bazid Khan and Matthew Hayden: The off side is 62m for the right hander and the leg side is 67m. The boundary down the ground is longer. The surface is very dry with a lot of cracks. Looks like a good wicket, we have seen mixed results here in terms of run chases. An ideal target has to be around that 300 mark. Spinners will be in the game with the cracks and dry patches in the good length area. Will be important to see how the batters defend the smaller side of the ground.
12:45 Local Time, 07:45 GMT, 13:15 IST: The Champions Trophy is back after a gap of 8 years and Pakistan are hosting their first big-ticket tournament since being co-hosts of the 1996 Cricket World Cup. It's been a long wait for a cricket obsessed nation that has been ravaged by internal conflicts. However, cricket has come back to the country in recent times and they've hosted many nations successfully. They also enter the tournament as defending champions, having clinched the title when it was last played in 2017. As hosts, they'll also start the tournament proper with a Group B game against New Zealand, a match they'll probably start as the underdogs. New Zealand have form going into the game with two wins against Pakistan in the recently concluded tri-series, but it's past and both teams will start afresh. They've been rocked with injuries - Lockie Ferguson has been ruled out of the tournament while Rachin Ravindra, who suffered a freak injury on his forehead days ago, could be a non-starter. Pakistan though have been boosted by the return of full fitness for Haris Rauf and that'll make their middle-over bowling attack look menacing. Karachi's National Stadium, one of the three hosting venues that got spruced up ahead of the tournament will play hosts to today's game, one which promises to be full of runs. Toss and team news coming up shortly..
Preview
Cricket
has long been Pakistan's most potent expression of nationalism. Despite
systemic challenges and internal rifts, an endless conveyor belt of
talent continues to fuel the attractiveness of the sport. Cricket
remains Pakistan's most visible global identity, and the PCB was never
going to let the chance to host the 2025 Champions Trophy slip away. The
administrators have taken their due, with four recent chiefs of the
board squeezing some space for themselves on a front-row couch in a show
of unity, to welcome the tournament home.
The stadiums are
ready, security clearances are in place, and for now, the frosty
relationship with the BCCI is on hold. Wall of fame has been unveiled,
past greats have been celebrated and amidst all the loud fanfare of
what's turned into a national project, quite ironically, the two most
influential figures of Pakistan's cricket history - Imran Khan and
Shaiza Khan - have been given a quiet miss. Nonetheless, finally, after a
29-year wait, Pakistan is set to host its first ICC tournament. The
attention, for a few weeks at least, will shift from the off-field
shenanigans to the performances of the Mohammad Rizwan-led side. The
captain and coach have managed to hold their positions for over three
months, a feat in itself, and the buzz is undeniable. But for a
cricket-loving nation, nothing short of a title will suffice. The
championship has to be defended.
In that bid, they've made some
interesting selection calls ahead of the tournament, and tested it
against South Africa and New Zealand briefly. Only one frontline
spinner, an alteration in the batting position of their best batter and
two surprising inclusions. These shuffles have been par for course for a
while but the most interesting change has been their aggressive
approach with the bat. It may have not helped them win the tri-series,
but it did help them chase down their record total, and most
significantly, promises to offer an entertaining showcase of their
cricketing potential.
Standing in their way first are New
Zealand, a team that has beaten them in the last two encounters in the
tri-series, and a team that has played seven ODIs since the start of
2023 at the same venue. For all of Pakistan's familiarity to home
conditions, it is the Mitchell Santner-led team that walks into the
contest with head-to-head form on their side as well as ample
familiarity to the challenges of the venue.
That said, New
Zealand have their own set of challenges to deal with after having been
hit though with a slew of injuries just days ahead of the tournament.
Lockie Ferguson and Ben Sears have been ruled out, and Rachin Ravindra
is yet to return after being hit on his head while fielding.
Given
the format of the tournament which leaves little room for error, for
warm-ups and second chances, both teams would have hoped to have settled
more in their preparations. But with the tournament finally here,
there's no more time for adjustments. The stage is set, narratives are
in motion and only performances on matchday will matter.
When: Wednesday, Feb 19, 2025, 14:00 Local Time (14:30 IST)
Where: Pakistan vs New Zealand, Match 1, National Stadium, Karachi
What to expect: It's
been a high-scoring venue, with the average first innings score of 289.
Of the 19 venues that have hosted at least six ODIs since January 2023,
it is the second highest scoring venue after Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium.
However, there is no distinct advantage for winning the toss. In the
last eight games played at the venue, teams batting first and bowling
first have won four times each.
Team News:
Pakistan: Haris
Rauf, who had sustained a muscular strain in his lower chest wall
during the recently-concluded tri-series, was declared available for the
opening game of Champions Trophy. He has also resumed practice in the
nets.
Probable XI: Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Kamran
Ghulam/Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Agha, Tayyab Tahir,
Khushdil Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf
New Zealand:
Lockie Ferguson has been ruled out of the tournament. Kyle Jamieson has
been roped in as his replacement. Meanwhile, Rachin Ravindra, who had
sustained a face injury during the tri-series has resumed his practise,
but his availability is yet to be confirmed.
Probable XI:
Will Young/Rachin Ravindra, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Daryl
Mitchell, Tom Latham, Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell
Santner, Matt Henry, Nathan Smith/Jacob Duffy, Will O'Rourke
Did you know?
Lahore's National Stadium has hosted 8 matches since the start of 2023, seven of being played between Pakistan and New Zealand
Devon Conway has struggled against Naseem Shah, getting thrice in three games against the pacer
Tom Latham, who hasn't been in the best of forms in 2025, has stroked three fifties across seven innings at the National Stadium
Squads:
Pakistan Squad: Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Rizwan(w/c), Salman Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Khushdil Shah, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Usman Khan, Saud Shakeel
New Zealand Squad: Will Young, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham(w), Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner(c), Nathan Smith, Matt Henry, William ORourke, Jacob Duffy, Kyle Jamieson, Mark Chapman, Rachin Ravindr
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